Calls for lower power rates gain ground

Gomez said the high cost of electricity in Ormoc and in the whole region is a kind of “grave injustice” considering that the city hosts the biggest geothermal power plant in the country

The call for a review of power contract agreements entered into by electric cooperatives is gaining ground at the House of Representatives as more lawmakers are seeking to probe the matter.

Leyte Fourth District Representative Richard Gomez said more members of the congress are heeding the call of their constituents to look into the problem of high cost of electricity.

“We have a big force in congress and we will work together to bring down power rates,” Gomez said. “We understand that the power rates should be lowered down to benefit the people. As the lawmaker from the district, I will work not only for the district but for the country. We will try to work it out to bring it down.”

“It is not only us who are having this problem but also a lot of cooperatives all over the country are having problems with high rates of electricity,” he added.

The Leyte representative is hoping that they will get an answer on what needs to be done in the next few months especially in his province.

Gomez said the high cost of electricity in Ormoc and in the whole region is a kind of “grave injustice” considering that the city hosts the biggest geothermal power plant in the country.

He said he has met with officials of the Energy Regulation Commission and the National Electrification Administration in finding a solution to this problem.

Earlier, the Leyte Electric Cooperative V announced a P3.0655/ kilowatt-hour increase on power rates this September, bringing the tariff to P17.0340/kWh from P13.9681/kWh in August.

LEYECO V said the increase is due to high generation charges caused by continued increase of coal price in the world market and the weakening of peso against the US dollar.