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TINIYAK ni Senador Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, Vice Chairman ng Senate committee on energy na daraan sa butas ng karayom ang inihaing pagre-renew ng prangkisa ng Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
“These franchise renewals, my view always is that we have to use this opportunity to review the performance of the grantee. And that’s a good way of putting accountability to the grantee,” ani Gatchalian sa kanyang pagdalo sa forum ng Solar and Storage Philippines 2024 na ginanap sa SMX Convention Center sa lungsod ng Pasay.
Tiniyak ni Gatchalian na kanyang susuriing mabuti ang naging trabaho ng Meralco at ang serbisyo nito sa taongbayan.
“The price, for example, since they buy power, and the service which includes connection, brownouts, speed of repairing lines, etc. For me, I have to look at the performance of Meralco before I can say whether to support it or not,” diin ni Gatchalian sa panayam ng mga mamamahayag.
Sa ilalim ng House Bill (HB) No. 9813, layon nitong palawigin ang prangkisa ng Meralco nang dagdag pang 25 taon bago nakatakdang mapawalang bisa sa 2028.
“Typically, the franchise emanates from the House. So, we cannot move until they transmit the franchise to the Senate. So, that’s how the process works. So far, no one has filed yet a franchise renewal with the Senate. But in this case, I think we will have to wait for the House to transmit it to us,” paglilinaw ni Gatchalian.
Mariing tinutulan ng consumer group gaya ng United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) ang naturang panukala kasunod ang pagsasabi na ‘wrong timing’ lalo’t umaaray ang publiko sa presyo ng singil ng koryente lalo na’t mataas ang demand nito sa kasalukuyan dahil sa klima ng panahon.
Naniniwala si UFCC President Rodolfo Javellana, Jr., na ang hakbanging ito ng ilang mambabatas ay patunay na tila nais nilang pumabor sa Meralco kaysa consumers.
“They are now conditioning the mindset of the public,” ani Javellana, na ang adbokasiya ng grupo ay ipaglaban ang karapatan ng mga consumer at naghain na rin ng maraming kaso sa Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) laban sa Meralco dahil sa sinabing overcharging.
“If we give Meralco an early franchise renewal, we are giving them a free pass on all the allegations against them. The fact that Meralco is pushing for an early renewal shows that they want to escape any responsibility for any findings that the House of Representatives or any government body might find in an investigation into their practices,” ani Gerry Arances ng People for Power (P4P) coalition, isang consumer group din na naglalayong bigyang proteksiyon ang mga consumer. (NIÑO ACLAN)
