By PHIL PA-ALAN
ILIGAN
CITY – Congressional Candidate Jojo Borja of the Lone District of
Iligan recently disclosed that the current power rate being charged by
local power companies is over P9 per kilowatt hour and may increase to
P18 per kilowatt hour in due time if remained unabated. He said power
companies are charging higher power rate more than they are supposed to
charge power consumers. He said the power consumers should be entitled
to 50% of the overpriced power rate and must be returned to them as
refund for over payment of power bills.
Congressional
Candidate Borja said if we have lower power rate, more people will be
encouraged to establish varied businesses that would create more jobs,
and generate more income for the people. He said if we have income, we
may even provide free hospitalization for patients, especially the less
fortunate ones because we have money. He said many people are jobless
because it is difficult to find jobs. He said we should eliminate over
priced power rate to encourage businesses, create more jobs and
generate more income for the people. He said he would concentrate in
keeping the power rate at an affordable and low level for the benefit of
the people.
Borja,
who is in the business of electricity, said corruption in government is
rampant and he would fight corruption in government especially in the
energy sector.
Borja
said he wants to lower the power rate by shouting the truth. He said
the people may be deprived of the privilege to know the truth on the
latest developments in the power area as the right to be informed is
guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution. . He said he can not do this
alone as he needs the support of the people to strengthen his fight
against higher power rates. He said by supporting him as congressional
candidate, a greater voice will be heard in Congress and in all four
corners of the country once he sits as Congressman in the House of
Representatives.
Borja
said higher power rate creates nervousness and stress among the power
consumers. He said more people died of nervousness and stress than the
number of people who died due to Typhoon Sendong.
Iligan
City has the highest power rate throughout the country with P9.56 per
kilowatt hour. Davao City, P7.50/kwh; General Santos City, 7.65/kwh;
Cagayan de Oro City, 8.24/kwh; Pagadian, 7.90/kwh and Manila, over
P8/kwh.
Borja said he
could be of great help in reducing the power rate as he is fully armed
with legal documents seeking a reasonable, affordable and lower power
rate in Mindanao and elsewhere in the country. He said these
documentary evidences prove that the power rate being charged the power
consumers are overpriced and more than the price the power consumers are
supposed to pay for their power bills. He said he had been fighting
for a just, reasonable and lower power rate for the past four (4) years
travelling to Manila almost twice a week to follow up and attend
hearings at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) compound and spend
his own personal money. He said just recently he paid his legal counsel
an amount of over half a million pesos (P691,000.00) to ensure that the
interest of the power consumers are justly promoted and protected in
the hearings. He said he has spent millions of pesos in following up
cases filed with the ERC against the Manila Electric Company (Meralco),
which has bloated and overpriced its power rate. He said Meralco has
overpriced the purchase of its equipment and included items which should
not be included in the computation of the power rate by kilowatt hour.
He said Meralco has charged power consumers more than double the amount
they are supposed to pay. He said he will continue the fight for a
lower power rate for the benefit of the oppressed and overburdened power
consumers.
Borja
said he has filed fifteen (15) cases against Meralco before the ERC to
bring justice to the struggles of power consumers. He said his efforts
are producing good results. He said that we are about to reach the
‘finish line’ of our fight for justice.
Borja
said the ERC has issued an order dated February 29, 2016 directing the
Meralco to submit a report on its compliance to the ERC Order dated July
6, 2011, on or before March 31, 2016..
ERC
Order dated July 6, 2011 directs the Meralco to adhere to certain
procedures for the asset inventory and true up adjustment of its
Regulatory Asset Base (RAB), after the Commission approved Meralco’s
Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) and Performance Incentive Scheme (PIS)
for the Third Regulatory Period, in its Decision (with Final
Determination) dated June 6, 2011.
Under
Section 4.17.6 of the aforementioned Final Determination, the
Commission indicated that the resolution is subject to review and true
up mechanism that will be determined in the Fourth Regulatory Period.
ERC
Case No. 2010-069 RC relates to the application of the Manila Electric
Company (Meralco) for approval of the Annual Revenue Requirement ad
Performance Incentive Scheme for the Third Regulatory Period (2011-2015)
in accordance with the provisions of the rules for setting the
distribution wheeling rates (RDWR) as amended.
The ERC Order was signed by JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, Chairman and CEO of the Commission.
