NEWS: "Philippines has world's highest power rates"

**Monseratto** · February 23rd, 2011 08:37 PM

Does anyone still remember the countless Senate Circus regarding Purchase Power Adjustment and the Independent Power Producers? We promised high rates to whoever built power plants during Ramos administration. It's a like a contract with the devil. We needed power at the soonest during that time. 2002 pa pinangako ni Manong Enrile (ginawa nga slogan niya) na pabain ang price ng kuryente. 9 years later, 84 year old Senate president na si Manong Johnny, ano nangyari?

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=164334

Napocor welcomes Enrile’s move to seek court action vs collection of PPA
By Donnabelle L. Gatdula (The Philippine Star) Updated June 12, 2002 12:00 AM

The National Power Corp. (Napocor) said yesterday it respects the right of anyone to petition the courts and ask the purchase power adjustment (PPA) be scrapped.

"The consumers have a constitutional right to do that and we will respect their actions. We shall answer the class suit in the proper forum," Napocor general counsel Rainier Butalid said.

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) vice president and spokesperson Elpi Cuna said they have not yet received any advice from the court.

"We have not seen any complaint (from Pasig Regional Trial Court)," Cuna said, adding that they have nothing to do with the case. "We do not benefit from the PPA. We are just the collector of the generation companies where we get our electricity supply from," the Meralco official said.

Like Cuna, Butalid said it would be premature to make further comments as Napocor has yet to be furnished a copy of the class suit.

Napocor OIC-president and chief executive officer Roland S. Quilala said the state-owned power firm remains true to its commitment to actively look for solutions to the problem of purchased power adjustment (PPA).

"We have already followed the directive of President Arroyo to reduce our PPCA to a uniform charge of 40 centavos per kilowatthour (kWh). We have reflected this effective May 8 and this means significant savings to consumers already as we have taken away as much as P1.13 per kWh from our PPCA charge," Quilala said.

Consumers led by former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Caloocan parish priest Bishop Teodoro Bacani the other day asked the Pasig Regional Trial Court to permanently stop Napocor and Meralco from collecting PPA.

In a petition, the group also asked the court to declare as illegal Section 34 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) which allows Napocor and Meralco to pass on to consumers the costs they incur due to contracts signed with independent power producers (IPPs).

PPAs are sealed between power generators such as the Napocor and the IPPs, and distribution utilities such as Meralco. These bilateral agreements have a contract life of five to 25 years and were the result of the government opening up the power industry to private investors as a solution to the power crisis that started in the late 80s and lasted till the early 90s.

**Wh1stl3r** · February 24th, 2011 12:13 AM

Kapit patalim talaga tayo, wala naman kasing enough hydro, coal and oil. Comparatively mataas pa rin ang power rates natin even without system losses. Maybe they should start considering nuclear power again.

**eld** · February 24th, 2011 12:18 AM

Mabuti yan para wala ng maka-afford na mag-videoke. Ang iingay ng mga bwiset na mga jologs na 'to.

**Starex_Gold** · February 24th, 2011 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by myk384

Paging Pnoy!!!

Ano sa tingin mo magagawa ni Noynoy?

**jansky** · February 24th, 2011 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by Starex_Gold

Ano sa tingin mo magagawa ni Noynoy?

as usual makiusap tulad ng ginagawa ng mga previous president

**chua_riwap** · February 24th, 2011 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by jansky

as usual makiusap tulad ng ginagawa ng mga previous president

utusan nya si nognog..........

**dcph172** · February 24th, 2011 12:54 AM

first, the government kasi should take over the powerlines. then there should be other distribution companies para may competition ang meralco. at may choices ang consumers.

in taiwan, power rates are so low, ang collection ng bill nila is every other month. tapos every other month, water bills naman. ganun kamura. haay

pag bumaba ang kuryente, papacentralize ko buong bahay kasama bahay ng aso at garahe.

**CVT** · February 24th, 2011 08:47 AM

Decades-old issue na iyan ng local industries with Malacanang.

Matagal nang may special representative ang Palasyo sa mga local industries dahil outside of wages and salaries,- iyan nang mataas na singil ng kuryente ang pumapatay sa industriya sa bansa.

Matagal na matagal nang problema iyan na binabayo ang pinto ng Palasyo para i-address.....

Hanggang ngayon,- wala pa rin... Wala na rin ang mga industriya rito,- nagsialisan na.....

Again,- decades-old na iyan....

12.3K:outcold:

**vinj** · February 24th, 2011 09:38 AM

Nuclear power for me.

From what i know, one reason why we also have power issues is because potential investors are hesitant due to unresolved or never-ending changes in the power sector policies.

**Monseratto** · February 24th, 2011 10:52 AM

I doubt PNoy can do anything about it. Those price contracts are not something na pwude i-abrogate, especially with the tarnished image of the Philippines as an investment site. Kailangan ipakita ni PNoy na we abide with any deals with our investors, no matter how painful it is to the citizenry...