CHIZ SAYS POWERCOM QUERY SHOULD BE A COUNTRYWIDE, CONSUMER-BASED HEARING

Today's Joint Congressional Power Commission inquiry into the high power rates prevailing in the country should not go the route of a fight between Napocor or Meralco, or who earns more money from what, but rather it should be an inquiry to answer the question of what will benefit the electric consumers.

Thus said Senator Chiz Escudero as the Senate and Congress jointly conducts the hearing on the sensitive issue of soaring power rates besetting the country. Aside from finding solutions to lower the power cost across the country, both power producers should be made to answer the transparency and accountability issues to the public who is the main stakeholder in this web of issues.

The senator said most of the woes in the consumers' electric bills are direct results of the inefficiencies of the people behind power-producing companies and we should not be made to answer for their ineptitudes through absurd charges on our bills.

"Napocor and Meralco are big businesses, big enough to defend themselves from the growing ire and mistrust the public has against them. It is but prudent for them to take this opportunity to inform, explain and justify all the accusations hurled against them on why the public has to bear the brunt of escalating power charges. At the end of the day, what should be obvious as a result of the hearing is a way out for the consuming public from the seemingly unabated soaring of electric cost".

Escudero also cautioned about leaving out the provinces from this inquiry as the issue of power cost is not endemic only to Metro Manila. The issue, according to Escudero is a constant concern and cross to bear for all households across the country.