The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) must protect the consumers against the threat of electricity price hikes, an interest group said Tuesday. United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) president Rodolfo Javellana Jr. emphasized in a statement that ERC should not be afraid to decide on the appeal of South Premier Power Corporation (SPPC) and San Miguel Electric Company (SMEC) to get rid of the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) that they signed together with Meralco to their consumers. According to UFCC, the consumers are not ready and have not yet recovered from the plague of the pandemic.
“ERC should not be afraid of the oligarchs. They must uphold their mandate. During the time when the price of crude oil in the market was steady, the consumers who signed the PSA did not complain about what they were paying. Why won’t SPPC, SMEC and Meralco uphold the legal contract that they entered into with their consumers? Why is it necessary for them to pass the burden to Juan dela Cruz?” Javellana Jr. said.
In a rally held by the UFCC at the ERC office in Pasig yesterday, the group criticized the alleged collusion between Meralco, which is expected to strike a balance for the protection of consumers, SPPC and SMEC.
“It’s alarming that they seem to be holding consumers hostage because they want to scrap the sacred agreement that gives us protection,” Javellana insisted.
The UFCC added that the statement that there is a possible further increase in the price of electricity if the ERC does not allow the request of SPPC, SMEC and Meralco can be considered “sabotage of the Philippine economy.”
‘The threat of stopping the plants that generate electricity on October 4, 2022 is a proof that they are threatening the consumers, the ERC and the government,’ the group said.
At the same time, UFCC challenged the new ERC Chairman, lawyer Monalisa Dimalanta, to stand their ground, not to be afraid of the threat of the oligarchs and should not turn a deaf ear to the plea of the Filipino people against the dictates of the giant electricity corporations in the country.
