Pinamamadali ng Makabayan solon
BATAS vs MONOPOLYO SA POWER SECTOR CONFLICT OF INTERESTS, HINILING IPASA NG KONGRESO

HINIMOK ng isa sa miyembro ng Makabayan Bloc ang mga miyembro ng Kamara na ipasa ang panukalang batas na ipagbabawal sa power distribution utilities na makapag-ari ng “shares” sa generation facilities.

Ayon kay Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, nakapaloob sa kanyang inihaing House Bill 8079, mahigpit na ipagbabawal sa mga distribution utilities katulad ng Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) na maging bahagi rin ng power generation dahil ito ay klarong may conflict of interest.

Sinabi ni Castro ang pagpapahintulot sa distribution utilities na pumasok sa generation ay kawalan ng proteksiyon laban sa posibleng pagtaas ng singil sa presyo ng koryente.

Iginit ni Castro, sa sandaling maging batas ang HB  8079 ay mapipigilan nito ang mega deal ng San Miguel Corp., at Aboitiz — na maglalagay sa Meralco bilang owner ng generation companies — higit sa kanyang mandato bilang power distributor.

“If House Bill 8079 — Prohibiting ownership by electricity distribution utilities in electricity generation companies and retail electricity suppliers had been enacted, the super merger created by MVP/Meralco-RSA/SMC-Aboitiz would not have happened,” ani Castro.

               Ang $3.3 bilyong mega deal sa ilalim ng joint venture agreement (JVA) ay naglalayong kontrolin ang liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities sa Batangas ng tatlong kompanya kabilang ang Meralco.

Binigyang-diin ni Castro, maliwanag na nakapaloob sa HB 8079 o kilala rin sa tawag na “Electricity Consumer Protection Against Cross-Ownership Act,” ay nagbabawal o pumipigil sa distribution utilities na magmay-ari ng generation plants.

Naniniwala si Castro, ang cross-ownership ay maaaring magpahintulot sa distribution utilities para diktahan ang electricity rates upang mabawi ang ipinuhunan sa power generation.

“Given that the generation cost of electricity is passed on by the distribution utility to the consumers, the higher the generation price, the higher the rates the consumers will pay. If the distribution utility also owns the generation company, it will be to its financial interest to pay a higher generation cost. In other words, cross-ownership brings about a conflict of interest that the distribution utility will resolve to fatten its pockets rather than lower electricity rates to consumers,” bahagi ng paliwanag sa resolusyon ni Castro.

Naniniwala si Castro, sa sandaling maging batas ang naturang panukala ay tiyak na tutugon sa katotohanang ang Filipinas ang may pinakamataas na singil sa presyo ng koryente sa Asya na pangunahing ikinadedesmaya ang mga mamumuhunan.

“Despite 20 years of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA, the country has not moved from its top spot in the world’s most expensive electricity list,” dagdag ni Castro.

Isa sa mga pinuna ni Castro na resulta ng EPIRA ay ang pagbibigay ng pahintulot sa cross ownership ng utilities at ng generation plants.

“The industry uses a seemingly indifferent term for it – cross-ownership. But far from being indifferent, recent developments reveal that cross-ownership is generously biased in favor of the distribution utility and poverty-inducing to the consumers,” paliwanag ni Castro.

Ang nararapat kasi ay pinapayagan ang kompetisyon at competitive mechanisms upang ang consumers ay makabili ng power suppliers na nagbibgay ng murang presyo ng singil sa koryente.

“However, this is not what is happening in the real world. In the name of the EPIRA, the regulator has abetted conflicted distribution utilities to own retail electricity suppliers or be one themselves, or both. It is not difficult to guess which generation companies these retail electricity suppliers prefer. It has also been the convenient excuse that competitive selection process or CSP prevents the conflicted distribution utility from unduly awarding power supply agreements (PSAs) to the generation companies it owns or has business ties with. Again, this is not the reality. Like most public biddings, the CSP can be rigged. Never underestimate a monopoly’s power to abuse,” paliwanag pa ni Castro.

Bukod kay Castro, awtor din ng HB8079 (kasalukuyang nakabinbin sa House committee on energy) sina Makabayan Bloc members, Rep. Arlene Brosas ng Gabriela Women’s Partylist at Rep. Raoul Manuel ng Kabataan Partylist. (NIÑO ACLAN)