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KINONDENA ng electricity consumers, sa pangunguna ng Power for People Coalition (P4P), ang sky-high power rates na binabayaran ng mga residente sa Ilocos Norte at Ilocos Sur, kahit ito ang tahanan ng Bangui Windmills, na pinagtibay bilang simbolo ng kampanya ng Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., taal na taga-lalawigan.
Ang mga residente ng Ilocos Norte na pinagseserbisyohan ng Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC), ay nagbabayad ng aabot sa P16.767 kada kilowatthour, habang ang Ilocos Sur residents na kumukuha ng elektrisidad mula sa Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISECO) ay may residential charge na P16.1192 kada kilowatthour. Para sa paghahambing, ang Manila Electric Company (Meralco) ay may charges na P9.7545.
“It is unconscionable for any Filipino to pay more than P16 per kilowatthour for their electricity, especially in Ilocos, a region not as developed as the National Capital Region, a region that has abundant potential renewable energy, and a region that has recently suffered from a natural disaster. You know you’re really doing something wrong if Meralco looks good compared to you,” ayon kay Gerry Arances, P4P Convenor.
Binigyang-diin ni Arances na ang ‘coal’ o karbon ang pangunahing dahilan ng mataas na power rates na ipinapapasan sa mga konsumer sa rehiyon, na ang power supply agreements (PSAs) ay electric cooperatives.
“INEC’s active PSA is with Masinloc Power Partners, which operates the Masinloc coal plant. ISECO has PSAs with Masinloc, GN Power Mariveles, and San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation, which operates the Limay coal plant. With fossil fuel prices rising since the relaxation of the quarantine and the war in the Ukraine, the situation in Ilocos shows how consumers are punished by the decision of the government and generation companies to rely on coal,” ani Arances.
Nagbabala rin ang green energy advocate na ang sitwasyon sa Ilocos na maaaring mangyari sa buong bansa.
“Ilocos is a preview of what can happen to consumers if we let companies who forced us to use electricity from coal and gas escape the responsibility of the decision by passing on the costs. These companies decided to use fossil fuels despite the abundance of renewable energy sources in the country, even if fossil fuels harm the environment, are subject to fluctuations in the world market, and can harm people living near their plants. We are asking President Marcos to put his foot down on fossil fuels and commit to the transition to renewable energy at the soonest possible time,” dagdag ng P4P Convenor.
