📷Koalisyong Makabayan senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has announced impending electricity rate hikes, a recurring issue attributed to the country’s chronic power supply shortage.
Koalisyong Makabayan senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño said that this problem stems from the government’s diminished role in power generation under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), which has left the sector largely in the hands of private corporations.
“The looming electricity rate hikes announced by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is an annual phenomenon caused by a chronic power supply shortage that can only be solved by government putting up more state-owned and operated power plants,” Casiño stressed.
Under EPIRA, electricity has shifted from being treated as a basic service to a profit-driven business.
This has led to persistent power shortages and high electricity costs, with private companies allegedly failing to build sufficient supply to lower prices.
Instead, some have been accused of manipulating limited resources to inflate rates, resulting in the Philippines having some of the highest power costs in the region.
“Every summer, we face the same power shortages yet we continue to rely on private companies to solve the problem. But they never built enough supply to lower prices. On the contrary, they even manipulated the meager supply to jack up prices, earning billions in profits and making our power rates among the highest in the region. Thus, EPIRA has led to two decades of recurring shortages and high electricity costs,” Casiño said.
“Kailangan natin ng bagong batas na magbibigay ng mandato sa gobyerno na muling magtayo ng mga state-owned power plants. Mga planta na patatakbuhin bilang serbisyo, hindi negosyo. Pag dumami ang supply ng kuryente mula sa mga plantang ito, bababa ang presyo,” he added.
He emphasized the urgency of passing new legislation to mandate the construction of such plants, ensuring reliable and affordable electricity for all Filipinos.
“We need to push for a major overhaul of the energy sector by repealing EPIRA so that the state can take over the operation of power plants to ensure reliable and affordable electricity for all Filipinos,” Casiño concluded. (ZIA LUNA)
