By David A. Tauli, President, Mindanao Coalition of Power Consumers In the year 2104, sixteen electric cooperatives in Mindanao entered into long term power supply contracts with the 405-MW coal power plant of FDC Misamis Power Corporation located in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, at a price of 5.40 pesos per kilowatt-hour. These power supply contracts were anomalous, having been entered into by the ECs by violating the requirement of the EPIRA for distribution utility companies to carry out least-cost acquisition of […]

David Celestra Tan, MSK 20 August 2017 Meralco, after their apparently successful circumvention of the CSP policy for their 3,551mw of 20 year coal power contracts, is now highly publicizing their embracing competitive selection process (CSP) for renewable energy supply, mainly solar. And it is quite revealing. Meralco heralded their signing of contracts 50mw of solar power from Solar Philippines at P5.39 per kwh, another 50mw at 4.69 per kwh from PowerSource, and now 85mw at only P3.50 per kwh […]

David Celestra Tan, MSK September 8, 2017 Most Filipino consumers know that every month their electricity bill takes a significant part of his budget. And he better pay up or his lights will be cutoff. One side of his brain is revolting but the other side is being brainwashed into believing that it is just life and all people are paying the same. They are also told that the reason Meralco’s rates are high is because our Asean neighbors are […]

by Engr. Joselito Villarey Meralco SL of 6+% reflect the average of generation which is negligible due to pass of similar with transmission, hence if you get the average of general transmission that are negligible combine with distance which is quite high will give an competitive ave of 6%+ only! Why not request the unbundle valued of gen, trans and dist. And if their loss is low, why the rate still high? This is because of many pass on rate […]

David Celestra Tan, MSK 15 September 2017 There is no question that the ERC has not been living up to its mandate to protect the consumers, to assure long term supply at fair and reasonable rates. In our book we give them a grade of 65% as an institution, failing in many measures. Our electricity rates are the highest in Asean because of this failure. We interact with many of their Commissioners, directors, and employees and most of them are […]

David Celestra Tan, MSK 28 September 2017 Worthwhile Competitors Ironically there are many equally capable independent bidders who could have provided healthy competition, technologies, and alternatives that would have been beneficial to consumers. Shutout by the MVP Group were the Ayala Group (for now), a long time cooperative party in the Telecoms and water sectors, the Lopez group that had been focusing on natural gas generation. Left outside looking in also are the TeamEnergy group of Japan, GN Power, Giant […]

David Celestra Tan, MSK 21 September2017 Meralco’s public service franchise specifically prohibits it from engaging “ in any activity that will constitute an abuse of market power such as but not limited to, unfair trade practices, monopolistic schemes and any other activities that will hinder competitiveness of businesses and industries”. Meralco’s electric distribution franchise did not come with the right to also monopolize power generation. In fact they are specifically prohibited from abusing their market power. Yet that’s exactly what […]

Evelyn Viray Jallorina Alyansa para saBagongPilipinas 6 October 2017 Did ERC actually conspire with Meralco in making way for MeralcoPowerGen to sign the 3,551mw of new power supply agreements? Our cause oriented group, Alyansa para saBagongPilipinas had filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against the ERC Commissioners for abuse of discretion and dereliction of duty for extending the November 6, 2015 deadline to April 30, 2016 for the requirement of competitive biddings (CSP) for the signing of […]

David Celestra Tan, MSK 16 October 2017 Almost everyday Legislators have been bombarding the ERC with press releases to pressure them to expedite the approval of Meralco’s seven (7) midnight power supply contracts. They subject the ERC Commissioners to hearings that are supposed to be “in aid of legislation” with distinct intent to pressure the ERC to “take action and resolve” the Meralco power supply agreements. A clear lobby for approval of the PSA’s not only of Atimonan One (1,200mw), […]

David Celestra Tan, MSK 22 October 2017 The DOE and ERC have been dancing around the issue of Market Concentration in Power since the get-go of the crafting and passing of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 that we all more commonly know as the Epira Law of 2001. If they have been dancing, it was the Bicam Committee of Congress that finalized the Epira Law that wrote the music. The Epira Law of 2001 aimed to reduce […]