GMA's "war" vs. MERALCO

[A121]

Generation charge un di ba? So I assume na mahal talaga un? Could someone please post other SEA countries' generation charge or better yet the price of electricity for comparison? Mas maigi na may benchmark tayo para magkaalamanan lang.

[CtrlAltDel]

I once saw a presentation where it showed that Philippines' Meralco had the second highest average power cost, following Japan's (highest) with Thailand's (third.) Sorry I couldnt be more objective. Meralco would be contributing to it but with their portion limited only to the distribution part which is about 12% of total, IPPs' and NPC's portion (80%) would be the main ingredient in this high cost of power.

The govt may try and squeeze meralco dry of their 12% but unless we see drastic changes in the generation charge's 80%, no way can we enjoy truly reasonable low power cost.

[CVT]

Meralco and Maynilad are being run by the Lopezes. Both have not seriously addressed their system losses because they are just charging it to their customers. Meralco should have resolved this years ago, if I remember correctly, since they were edicted then by the government to reduce system loss charging. Obviously they have not done this, nor they were punished for their failure to.

I'd say this is looooonnnng overdue. The government should act decisively and expeditiously on this. We are not competitive as a nation since many years ago vs. the rest of the countries in the region mainly because our cost of electricity is one of the highest.

Also, last night, I understand that the government is getting something like a 55% royalty for the natural gas from Malampaya that is 100% locally consumed. We are the only country, after Indonesia who is doing this. The rest of the countries do not tax their local consumption of their natural resources (I understand). The joint project came from people's tax, and we get taxed for the product. Whew!

6000:mobile:

[uls]

it's easy to see if a company is profiteering...

Just look at their employee privileges.

All expense trips here and abroad, 5 star hotel accomodations...

New company car every 3-5 years, company-shouldered fuel and maintenance cost...

First world employee privileges in a third world country?

It can only mean that their customers are paying too much.

Napocor?

Meralco?

Big Pharma?

hehe

[Bogeyman]

Arroyo adviser: Don't aim at Meralco, blame IPPs

By ROY MEDINA
abs-cbnNEWS.com

One of President Arroyo's economic advisers said that critics of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) should cut to the chase and stop blaming the power distributor for the high electricity rates in Luzon.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said that those aiming at Meralco should focus their attention at independent power producers that supply electricity to the Lopez family-controlled firm.

"If you'd ask me, the root cause of why we have high power rates is the IPP that the government contracted from 1992 to 1998, nothing else," Salceda, also a former Malacañang official, told radio dzMM's "Dos Por Dos" morning program.

Salceda said he has asked questions on why critics have kept on picking on Meralco, which is Luzon's largest power distributor.

"Why pick on Meralco? I asked, why not Meralco IPPs?"

The Albay chief executive said that if critics pick on one company, they should scrutinize all the others.

"If you do to one, you should do to all. If you cannot do to all, then don't do it at all," he said.

Salceda said that the government can use the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) to review IPP contracts.

"Supposedly under Epira, we have a review of IPPs so this has happened but if you look at it carefully, we did not negotiate it thoroughly so I said why not do a second review since Epira does not prohibit a second review?"

It's the IPP, dummy

Salceda also that what the President has been saying about high power rates in the country is really about IPPs, nothing else.

"Only, she hasn't been able top give it straight, because it's so sophisticated," he said.

The governor added that besides, discussing the role of IPPs is complicated since these have no "personalities" to speak of.

"Meralco has a personality because it bills us every day,"

He said that if only the IPPs bill each customer for the electricity used per day, then, the issue about high power rates would get clearer.

"If you ask me, its the Meralco's IPP," he said.

The problem with high power rates, Salceda explained, lies not with the distributor but rather, the one that generates electricity.

1990s problem

He said the issue is rooted in the 1990s during the period of rotating brownouts in Luzon.

"The government pressed [Meralco] to enter into generation and Shell said it won't develop Malampaya without a power plant and the power plant didn't want to set up without a supply contract with Meralco," he said.

Salceda also said that this should be the context use to understand the present situation.

But then again, he said, it is easy for people to forget the context of the problem or the decision.

The governor also cited the example of Meralco's P9.40 per kilowatthour charge to Metro Manila customers and said that of this amount, only P1.20 goes to the power distributor.

He also said that it is wrong for critics to advise Mrs. Arroyo to approve a government takeover of Meralco.

"It's bad for the country, it's bad for the poor, bad for the economy, it sends the wrong signal. If that's the case, then the government should run all businesses."

He said that the idea of the government running all the businesses in the country is an insult to regulating bodies such as the Energy Regulatory Commission in the case of Meralco.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topoftheh...StoryId=117456

[Monseratto]

Di ba two of the IPPs are owned by the Lopezes too?

As the largest Filipino independent power producer in the country, First Gen Corporation, a subsidiary of FPHC, has a total production capacity of 1,727 MW. FPHC is in power distribution with Meralco, the largest electricity distributor in the country

First Gas Holdings Corporation (FGHC) is responsible for handling all the Gas power projects under the wing of the First Philippine Holdings Corporation and Lopez Inc.

[ringostarr]

Why should the consumer pay for system loss? Why doesn't Meralco absorb it instead of passing the buck?

double-edged sword case eto

if Meralco absorbs the cost, considering that those below the poverty line outweight the middle class/rich combined, baka in a year sarado na Meralco and wala na tayo kuryente

if for example, i-allow naman natin yun HK Power Tycoon to take over tapos puro pela pela lang yan, sigurado mabilis pa sa alas kwatro disconnected na halos 50% ng squatter na binabayaran natin. pero bilang kalang ng isang buwan, sigurado riot ala LA ang mangyayari sa Metro Manila. imagine sending the masses to stone age, walang tv, walang ilaw, walang pang-luto

kaya it's important na Filipino ang may-ari ng sobrang delicate na utility like electricity. kasi kahit papano pinapasa na lang yun burden sa mga kumikita like us middle class yun hindi mabayaran ng mga less fortunate sa'tin. this however poses a danger bec. a lot of people might view this as unfair and a certain sector will take this benefit for granted na yun na nga ang nangyayari ngaun kahit saan aspeto ng buhay natin.


yan ang problema natin, hindi mo naman puwede diskonektahan na lang at sinong investor tatagal mag-business kung puros libre ang kuryente dahil mahirap lang sila

[russpogi]

Honestly. I CANNOT understand why in the hell is electricity in Metro Manila more EXPENSIVE than the provinces? Simple economics lang naman eh. Pag madami ang consumers, a lot can share the cost of transmission and energy loss. Plus, the electric distributor (like Meralco) can actually bargain for the cost of electricity because of the bulk that they get! Bad trip talaga! Dito sa Manila, I cannot use my aircon in my room for fear of receiving an outrageously expensive electric bill but when I'm in Mindanao or Cebu, I only turn of the aircon when I'm not in the room! BAD TRIP!!! ARGHHH!!! :fire:

[alfiem]

ot

Honestly. I CANNOT understand why in the hell is electricity in Metro Manila more EXPENSIVE than the provinces? Simple economics lang naman eh. Pag madami ang consumers, a lot can share the cost of transmission and energy loss. Plus, the electric distributor (like Meralco) can actually bargain for the cost of electricity because of the bulk that they get! Bad trip talaga! Dito sa Manila, I cannot use my aircon in my room for fear of receiving an outrageously expensive electric bill but when I'm in Mindanao or Cebu, I only turn of the aircon when I'm not in the room! BAD TRIP!!! ARGHHH!!! :fire:

Totoo yan kasi mas mura ang selling price ng NApocor sa Visayas and Mindanao as compared sa Luzon. Hindi na kasalanan ng Distribution Utilities yan. Try to research time of use rates ng napocor. DOwn kasi website nila ngayon.

[shadow]

tama yun sinabi ni Oscar Lopez, kung gusto ng Gov't. na bumababa yun price then buy out na lang nila yun stakes ng mga Lopezes...

makikita natin kung ganun kabulok na pagpapatakbo gagawin ng Gov't magiging milking cow lang nanaan itong Meralco pag nangyari yun, political nominees ang ilalagay dyan..mas lalo tayong magkakalokoloko...