ERC asked: Resolve cases on collectibles

THE POWER Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) has appealed to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to immediately resolve the cases pending before it involving the stateowned firm’s collection of unpaid dues totalling P216 million from several distribution companies and industries.

PSALM President and CEO Irene Besido Garcia

said these cases involve unpaid Default Wholesale Supplier Arrangement (DWSA) charges of five firms that have contested the payment of these obligations before the ERC. These cases involve the Angeles Electric Corp. (AEC), San Fernando Light and Power Co. (SFELAPCO) and Tarlac Electric Inc. (TEI), which jointly questioned PSALM’s collection of P75.001 million in DWSA charges. PSALM also aims to collect P2.681 million from the Melters Steel Corp. (MSC), which has also lodged a case against the state-owned firm and the National Power Corp. (NPC) before the ERC. Another pending case before the ERC involving unpaid DWSA charges and power bill adjustments was filed by the Steel Corp. of the Philippines (STEELCORP) amounting to P138.321 million. “These cases delay PSALM’s collection efforts. The cases have been submitted for ERC’s decision several years ago. We hope that ERC can help us to finally collect the DWSAs due to PSALM, which we desperately need in order to be able to settle the remaining obligations we assumed from NPC,” Garcia said. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, who chairs PSALM’s Board of Directors, and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who is vice-chair of said Board, were furnished copies of PSALM’s letter to ERC. In her letter, Garcia stressed that “PSALM is very confident of its legal position for collecting these DWSAs. PSALM is mandated to impose the NPC Grid Rate or the WESM (Wholesale Electricity Spot Market) Ex-Post Nodal Energy Price, whichever is higher, and a premium of 10 percent.” Garcia pointed out that PSALM’s position on this issue is fully supported by both the ERC and the Department of Energy (DOE), as reflected, respectively, in ERC Resolution No. 44, series of 2006, and DOE Circular No. 2006-06-0009. PSALM’s borrowing costs amount to about 8 percent per annum, Garcia said, which could be reduced if these pending cases are resolved soon enough and the debtors are directed to pay PSALM at once. Earlier, PSALM also demanded payment from 14 firms with long-overdue obligations amounting to P1.931 billion. Furthermore, PSALM is bent on collecting P238.3 million in unremitted Universal Charge (UC) from eleven (11) electric cooperatives. All these efforts of PSALM are intended to increase collections that will be used to pay for maturing obligations of NPC.