Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Power rates and privatization – was the Filipino public swindled by GMA and Congress?

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By Raïssa Robles

Privatize the power industry and electricity rates will go down. This was the promise made in 2001 by then President Gloria Macapagal  and Congress when they lobbied for the passing of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

The act was passed and today, 13 years later, that promise remains unfulfilled. In fact, the exact opposite has happened. Far from decreasing, rates have increased. Customers of the biggest retail provider, Meralco, are staggering under the highest electric rates ever in the country’s history.

This is something for us to keep in mind today as petitioners against the power rate increase face the Manila Electric Co. in a preliminary conference ordered by the Supreme Court, a week before the oral arguments there.

Let’s go back to 2001. A week before Congress passed the EPIRA law on June 8, 2001, a full page ad came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on May 30, 2001.

I clipped it because two things caught my eye about this ad:

First, it promised that if the law is passed, electric rates would go down.

Second, Mrs Arroyo said “the high cost of electricity” was partly blame for poverty.

You can read for yourself this full page ad. I had to take a photo of it in sections:

And here’s a closer look of the promises made in exchange for the EPIRA law:

Mrs Arroyo and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte cannot escape the responsibility of making EPIRA right and fulfilling its broken promises. Belmonte was also  Speaker of the House when the EPIRA law was passed. And Arroyo is now in Congress.

I wonder if, like millions of “ordinary” Filipinos, Arroyo and Belmonte regularly worry about how to pay THEIR monthly electricity bills. What do you think?

At any rate, the least they can collectively do is drastically amend the EPIRA law ASAP, so it benefits customers and not just the power industry players.

Tayo naman ang sisingil sa kanila.

Interestingly, among those who petitioned the Supreme Court to freeze Meralco’s recent power rate hike is Pete Ilgan, president of The National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms (NASECORE).

Pete Ilagan fully endorsed the passage of the EPIRA Law in 2001 and allowed his name and signature to appear in the same ad. He owes the public an explanation and he has to help make EPIRA right.

Besides Pete Ilagan, the following also have to help make things right:

 

Comments

    • this is not really a response to current comment of @baycas but an endorsement of his earlier idea to push for a grace poe- kris aquino ticket in the 2016 elections. we need a big name, a household name to beat someone whose primary strength seems to be his long tentacles to small local rural barangays. remember he was able to have someone elected as senator whose only qualification is that she is his daughter.
      i have read one interview of grace poe where she comes off as a solid, thinking, articulate person. here is where the media will be pivotal in getting more people to know her.

    • this is a report of reply @baycas no. 45 awaiting moderation since yesterday morning
      BINAY NO NO says:
      Your comment is awaiting moderation.
      January 18, 2014 at 9:07 am
      this is not really a response to current comment of @baycas but an endorsement of his earlier idea to push for a grace poe- kris aquino ticket in the 2016 elections. we need a big name, a household name to beat someone whose primary strength seems to be his long tentacles to small local rural barangays. remember he was able to have someone elected as senator whose only qualification is that she is his daughter.
      i have read one interview of grace poe where she comes off as a solid, thinking, articulate person. here is where the media will be pivotal in getting more people to know her.

    • I suppose the question is, is anyone entitled to his or her own personality, or must we remake those we have issues with in God’s or our own image, presuming them not to be the same.

  2. In view of the mounting opposition to the initiatives being put-up to solve the riding-in-tandem crimes, one could only curse, sigh and shake heads to the thought that big and influential people (perhaps uniformed and high ranking)/syndicates are behind those motored guns-for-hire/holdap gangs. That’s why they are becoming more daring, disciplined and organized. Common criminals will discharge/use their weapons without thinking and with the slightest provocation while professionals will avoid at all cost reason for the authorities to mount relentless manhunt (as in the case of a call center exec).

    • We can import Australian experts who can teach our cops “How To Throw A Bomerang”…it hits and goes back to the thrower!

      • in other countries, bikers are not allowed to enter businesses or establishments without removing their helmets. they must remove their helmets, carry them or leave them elsewhere, and show their faces, or they will not be allowed to enter.

  5. Without a tinge of mockery, Ellen Tordesillas endorses Kris Aquino for president.

    Her reason: Kris has found a solution for poverty – don’t have sex and you will be blessed with money beyond your dreams.

    “Let’s try to follow Kris’ logic: She is blessed – so rich, she is one of the country’s top taxpayers – because she is mabait. That means the Filipinos living in poverty with no roof over their heads, the children scavenging for food. are not mabait.”

    “She said she is blessed because she doesn’t have sex. That means all those poor people are having an active sex life.” (yahoo news Phil) 1/17/14)

    Many may agree but I’m not. What is needed is birth control – not sex control. Most poor people’s only pleasurable enjoyment is sex – and it’s free if done with their mates after waiting for the children to sleep in their cramped shelter.

    • ganon din ako. I dont agree with ellen tordesillas. she’s just bitching about kris aquino who is prettier and more successful than ellen. hit at kumita talaga sa takilya ang dating film ni kris na sisterakas, pati yong film ng anak niyang si bimby na may little bossings ay hit na hit rin. dinaig yata ang kita ng girl, boy, bakla, tomboy ni vice ganda. it’s no wonder kris feels blessed, proud of what she has achieved despite being the air head that ellen made her out to be.

      true, birth control is needed if population growth is to be slowed down. sex control, well the urge to have sex can be controlled once in a while, not all the time though. it leads to frustrations, anger, ill temper, etc. sex is like food, it’s one of humanity’s basic needs. nothing shameful about sex between consenting adults. to me, what is shameful if having too many children and not being able to provide for them. also shameful is parents exploiting their own children, selling them to human traffickers and sex traders.

    • [email protected]

      Many believe that Ellen Tordesillas is a genius and god-given gift to humanity. But I am not YET ready to share that belief. Just look at few of her advice.

      1. Elect a celibate Kris Aquino as president to eradicate poverty.
      2. PNoy should endorse Binay as president to avoid the fate of GMA and Erap.
      3. Cabinet members of PNoy must resign because they are obviously enjoying their jobs.

      I am still trying to decipher the message she wanted to impart. It is highly probable that there is something hidden between or beyond the lines she wrote. The other person who put me in this predicament before was Nostradamus. But I am honing my faculty.

    • Ellen Tordesillas was just steering our mind so that PNOYs management will be pictured to be VERY BAD and come election time and HIS endorsement for 2016 Precidency,,,,Binay or any opposition bet’s might have a chance of winning.he he BULOK ang style ni ELLEN.

    • @kalahari,

      January is the time of predictions, some expected.

      Reverse psychology has its downside. Sometimes, the use of sarcasm works to the advantage of the one being mocked.

      Ms. Tordesillas is directly mocking Kris Aquino and indirectly mocking the President.

      But by being a sister of the popular President, Kris Aquino (being popular also in her own right) is a shoo-in as a top contender for the presidency if she files a COC.

      Ms. Tordesillas, by ‘endorsing’ the actress, will only blame herself if Kris Aquino will win in 2016.

      • This formula has never tried before…

        POE-AQUINO in 2016.

        POE-AQUINO, POE-AQUINO, POE-AQUINO.

        Just try NOT to pronounce it fast…

        Dahan-dahan lang po, bagama’t malakas, ang pagbigkas ng POE-AQUINO…

        • Yun pong parehong babae…

          Grace Poe at Kris Aquino…

          POE-AQUINO, POE-AQUINO!

          Kung ayaw ng bastos…

          GRACE-KRIS, walang mintis!
          Grace sa accountability,
          Kris sa transparency!

  6. Enrile’s infamous words then were “gusto ko happy kayo.” Sya ang happy, tayong lahat nakuryente!!!

    • Hindi na happy si tanda ngayon bro. Tayo ngayon ang happy na sumabog sa mukha nila ang plunder cases.

    • @duquemarino: sir, noong sabihin ni “T” ang mga katagang “gusto ko happy kayo”, nakatingin at nakaturo siya kina “seksi” at “pogi”…

  7. My home town on Biliran has a large cement gym. The builder cut costs to compensate for all the kickbacks he had to give (the largest rumored to go to the Governor). During Yolanda, the roof of the gym flew off rather guillotine-like. Fortunately the place was vacant. Cross that one off as a useful evacuation center.

    Across the island, there is a big project underway to build a thermal electrical power plant. Local officials are evidently again demanding big kickbacks for permits. These are capital projects, and such expenses get built into the cost of power for the life of the plant.

    The Philippines has more robbers than cops, for sure.

      • Our house is strong, though the water was being high-pressured into through the window and roof seams. So we spent the time mopping up buckets of water as the jet engines screamed around us. The dicier part was after the storm for a week when we had no nothing, no gas, electricity, cell service, internet, or banks, and with food flying off the shelves. We thought Tacloban looting might raise its ugly head here when a major robbery took place (a grocery market). Fortunately, Petron finally delivered a truck of gas on Day 7 and optimism took over. We are almost back to normal (no electricity yet in outlying areas). The wind cleaned up a lot of trash and people are fixing up their places so the city now looks better than it did before. I think a bunch of OFW/relief money flooding in actually gave the economy a positive jolt.

        • If you’re up to it, Joe, I suggest you write a piece narrating the details of this event in your blog.

          Very interesting to read this. Gives us ideas how to prepare and deal with it if it comes.

        • indeed, in times of adversity / misfortune, one has to be positive, to be able to move on. It is not in falling, as the test of the greatness of the person, but it is in getting up from i

        • welcome back Joe Am….

          That was an exhausting experience against mother nature reacting with the green house effects and other destructive industrial products…

    • That island is ruled by the spinasnatchs! from old gerrysnatchs to sonsofsnatchs!

      …to robbersnatchs up to copsnatch! A dynastinatchs indeed!

      Damn ’em all to hell!

    • Thanks to all you good CPMers for the welcome back. Our electricity lines were plugged in yesterday and also internet speed is now up to a zippy 15KPS. :)

  8. If anyone wants to know the other sides of what moved the country to pursue privatization, the surprising role of international financial institutions (IFI) in the privatization of Philippine power companies (and water companies as well) and the causes of the expensive power charges in our country please read this comprehensive report on this subject:

    http://internetfreespeech.org/documents/ifiphilippines.pdf

    • @yvonne …common Filipino in reading this can not easily understand its objectives , purposes , successes and failures…. But in a LAYMAN understanding to date , before ( FACTs ) and even for another DECADes , especially the privatization of basic needs of the Filipino people ( electricity, water and even transportation ) are not yet applicable to us. Its because our ATTITUDEs, CHARACTERISTICs as an individual , sad to say , mahirap tayong SPELINGIN. We , especially the RICH one always take advantage withneach other to EARN financiiallly and gather more POWER for ourselves whenever LOOPHOLES can be GLEAN in a LAW , MEMORANDUM or anything else…. Look at the AMLA law ( aka CORONA ) , look at the MNLF peace agrrement ,, LOOK at US we dont even want to PAY the right amount of TAXES we are suppposed to PAY… Everybody wanted to CHEAT the government when given a chance….and the WORSE part of the Filipino Custum if our RELATIVES is at stakes ,,, kahit sila pa ang gumawa ng KRIMIN…we can not be a witness against them…the most we do was we go to be SILENT… In our Governmnent bureaucracy , in order to retain their power , SIPSIP sila para wag malipat o matanggal sa pwesto kahit walang pera involved, they prefer to stay in power , give in to the DEMANDs of example the IPPs and wait for a while or good timing to go sa DAANG LIKOLIKO again…iam not saying ALL but MOST… Si PNOY he really wanted to change us to go sa DAANG MATUWID, pero the INTERTWINED marriages ofbhis relatives makes HIM hard to pursue his GOAL….

      • The main objective of the EPIRA ,, kung marami na silang producers ng KORYENTE di natural , everybody will IMPROVED their own system and LOWER their prices in a very REASONABLE AMOUNT para sa kanila bibili ang cooperatiba , where households can afford even during oil price increases and other basic commodities ..PERO ang nangyayari nga e MONOPOLY nga nila lahat sa mga INTERTWINED OWNERS so they can now DICTATE or control the prices and the WORSED control the SUPPLY of POWER….. DAPAT NGA UMALSA NA TAYO LABAN SA MGA BILLIONAIRES NA MGA ITO… IF I am an NPA CADRE i will kidnap relatives of this POWER PRODUCERS PLAYERS and LET THEM LOWER PRICES or RETURN BACK power plants to the government for FREE or i will have to send body parts of theirbrelatives piece by piece… Like a ganster on the west side … Ala al capone he he..

      • “Everybody wanted to CHEAT the government when given a chance…”
        There was this tsismis I gathered during Marcos’ time: Marcos told Ronald Regan that if his people do not want to pay taxes, just BORROW. And if we will trace the history, heavy borrowing of the two countries started during these two presidents. And I will not be surprised if Marcos was the one who coined the term “Reganomics”.

        • @alfredo….i agree with you he he… Uutang tayo sa World Bank para gumawa ng power plants noong panahon ni Macoy , he he kukuha ng percentage ang mga CORRUPTs ….. After Marcos , let the Billionaires Filipinos put up the power plant ( IPPs ) , babawiin naman nila ng katakot takot na ELECTRICITY PRICE INCREASES …it passes to householders or power consumers…. Wala tayong pupuntahan talaga …saan ang lesser EVIL? FILIPINOs too much genius talaga… Wala gustong patalo… GUSTO PAG MAY PAGKAKATAON , MANG IISA sa kapwa…. LAWs are for the POOR FILIPINOs to FOLLOW STRICTLY , and for the RICH and FAMOUS to be BROKEN… He he

        • in other words, if there are not “enough” to steal from now, then steal from your children, grandchildren, and the still unborn. one scenario a large population is desirable to carry on the burden of paying.

      • Pnoy has now shown he is not up to the job. No firing of scoundrels in government but only a nice resignation. [but no even accepted at that!]

        If he keeps up like this up to 2016 election year today he’s a limping duck up to
        May 2016!

        OMG!

        • the lameness for 20 years was inhireted by PNOY, he cannot solve the issues just in his term. If he did practice immediate imprisonment and final judgment of the corrupts, he will be labelled as dictator, now he is doing the legal ways, when do you think it will end? Perhaps up to fourth president or perhaps a hundred years more…

          The only Law that will stop corruption is Death Penalty…however, nobody wanted to create a bill for that and if somebody created, the Priest will disagree and end results “as is”…

          PNOY has done the best so far eventhough a little bit slow, when his term ends, i hope he will be able to approved a bill that will continue the vacumming of the corruptors… the cleaning process will go on and on…

        • OHHHHH! @mcspeed … That was really the scenario NOW….MARCOS knew all along that MERALCO before were earning a LOT on power production and can DICTATE its prices and can CONTROL the energy sector of our Country when the time comes or when Marcos will be out of power and it HAPPENED. So in a BOLD MOVED , he sequestered MERALCO and placed it under Government control , to prevent the LOPEZEs in MONOPOLIZING electricity prices…Along the way of his administration SOMETHING WENT WRONG… GREEDs and CORRUPTIONs among the MARCOSES and cronies destroyed the ambitios plan of MARCOS to deliver the cheapest electric power in ASIA…

          Yes @LEONA ,,,PNOY must do a BOLD MOVE in firing the CORRUPTS on his administration , otherwise , a limping duck as you said is UNAVOIDABLE until 2016.

        • Definiyely a big [email protected]… Maybe before you can start it or along the way like NINOY , you will be assasinated … Nobody wanted to be RIZAL or Andres Bonifacio i think he he …How abiut you can you do it?

        • …administer the oath to me! I’ll accept PNoy’s resignation and will show you I can do it…feed the scoundrels to the crocs at the Manila Zoo!

        • @drill,

          so you guys lost your loyalty or i would say you are becoming anti PNOY… if you are v torres, you will be happy instead of hating

          …come on Leona, be compassionate, PNOY is the best man so far, killing the corrupt is not easy, see kuratong baleleng? Just cool yourself, PNOY will do it slowly but surely…

          @victim
          you and leona started this critism to PNOY…dont point the gun on me he he he he
          i assure you, inch by inch, PNOY will clean the mess left by the previous admin he he he

        • Teka teka @mcspeed… We are not criticizing PNOY,,,we are here on this BLOG to evaluate the administration of PNOY. By posting here the negative feedbacks of PNOY ,will help him , straighten qng LIKO LIKONG nadan sa kanyang administration ..

        • @macky…speakin’ of loyalty…my loy-A ty begin’s where it is always where and never was it to PNoy!

          PNoy’s loy-A ty ended sometime ago…when he refused at first moments to abolish the Porks Barrel…later to placat-E us, he said he did abolish it but not really did he…only

          Remember MLQ’s loy-A ty saying…

          the SC did him in!

          I don’t know where is PNoy’s loy-A ty now is! It looks he is ‘playing’ unfair games with us – We Are the BOSS [he said] baka bossin’tsay ‘lo…hahaha…wa ka Nga!

          for PNoy’s silence on the scandal by PhilHealth officials, he showed he lost his compassion for us and the country…we need that compassion but keeps it away from us!

          He’s losing his tracks…don’t know where he’s moving to…like a blinking light…OFF ‘n ON…

          No firings or dismissals to scoundrels in government…that lady Torres at LTO got away easy…shooter Puno got away easy…Philhealth officials will get it easy…what’s next?

          Saan siya ‘O tayo papunta? … Quo vadis?

          We must remain in ‘critizing mode’…to keep ’em on their toes…we ‘r the Boss…PERA NATIN ‘to.

          Remain VIGILANT. To sleep will bring us to our nightmares…beyond. As you said – – – POINT A GUN at ’em! Tis’ needed.

          hahaha

  9. Albay power cooperative (ALECO) faces disconnection anew for P300 million unpaid bills. – Philippines Today news item, Jan 15-21 2014 issue.

    In a PNA news last August, AMSSO, assisted by volunteer lawyers, was preparing charges against ALECO officials for malversation of funds.

    ALECO interim board is chaired by Albay Bishop Joel Baylon.

    I don’t understand why our top religious leaders are into heading private corporations. Just like Msgr Joselito Ramirez serving as Honorary Chairman of FortuneCare.

    Sorry, but I don’t see how these are parts of their religious works for the salvation of the human souls.

    • Masyadong silang pakialamero ano [email protected],,, although they ( priest ) are being elected to the BOARD so as CHAIRMAN by cooperative memebers ,sana for delicadeza wag na silang tumakbo… Dapat asikasuhin nila to protest the presence of HUETING GAMES sa mga area nila and DRUGs businessses in theeir respective areas not to mention LOTTING na pinapabayaan nila , lalo na kung NAKAKATANGGAP sila ng ABULUY sa gambling and drug loards ,,PIKIT na PIKIT na ang MATA nila..

    • @ yvonne,

      Diyan silang mga relegious leaders kuno kumikita nang malaki lalo na sa mga malalakihang kickbacks, Now They are serving 2 masters at the same time…malamang iiwanan nila ang isang master at doon sila papasok sa isa kong saan malaki PAKINABANG pasa sa pansariling KASAKIMAN…

    • “Alam mo problema iyan ‘nung security agency tsaka ‘nung association. ‘Di kami kasama doon,” -VP Binay

      Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/01/15/14/vp-binay-sacked-dasma-guards-thats-their-problem

      Hindi daw sila kasama doon? I hope someone remind the vice president that his own son and daughter were inside that VIP SUV’s and his son Jun-Jun clearly was the one who called the police to arrest the security guards who were just doing their job.

      In fact dawit na din si Jejomar for insinuating in media that his son should be given “courtesy” because he is a VIP.

      What irritates me more is the gall of the Binay clan to treat everyone as a inutil even if there is a complete video/evidence. Remember when Dondon Lanuza asked the PH government and the Filipino people for help to raise ‘blood money’ so he wont be executed? Ano nangyari?

      Source http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/01/13/14/binay-tells-lanuza-i-can-help-you

      Yan ginawang political ad ng VP natin for his campaign in 2016. Biruin mo ang daming pinoy na tumulong sa OFW pero iisang tao lang ang naka isip na gawing PR or Political ad ito para mapalawig ang kanyang political career at exposure.

    • @ Kamison,

      Tama si mare winnie monsod sa sinabi nito na hindi dapat humingi nang paumanhin ang security agency owner sa mga binay dahil tama ginawa nang mga guwardiya nito at si mayor binay ang mali na umastang above the law which is Wrong…kasi dapat sundin ang anomang rules o batas…

      Ito na ang bunga nang pagiging TUTA nang may-ari nang security agency sa mga binay biruin mo tama ginawa nang mga guwardiya nito pero siya pa humingi nang paumanhin kahit Mali ginawa nang mga binay…ha ha ha ha…Malaki nalugi nang may-ari sa pangyayaring ito…ha ha ha SIPSIP[ KA KASI EH…

    • @Kamison: …it is interesting to note that in one video I saw on tv, a lady, with “payong aide”, came out of the 2nd SUV while the mayor was “nagbubunganga” sa mga guards. I wonder if the lady joined-in and nagbunganga din. Medyo “blackout” tayo sa puntong ito. It was not clear if the lady was the senate “black mamba”. :)

      • @Martial, @jorge, @Kajames at mga kapwa mambabasa at kumentador.

        Tama at nararapat ang ginawa ng Dasmariñas Village Association (DVA). Prinotektahan nila ang poder nila, dahil pribado at hindi pampublikong daan. Baka mahihirapan o tagilid kung magresign iyong mga magigiting na mga sekyo mula sa Right Eight Security Agency at lumipat sa First Eagle Security Agency. Mayruon na silang naipon siguradong ‘length of service’ o mga benepisyo duon sa Right Eight.

        Kung saka-sakaling lilipat at magresign naman sa kasalakuyang ahensiya. bigyan nawa ng DVA ng pabuya o umento sa bagyong ahensiya para hindi sila talo para maakit silang lumipat. Dahil kumpiyansa na ang mga residente ng Dasma sa mga magigiting na mga sekyo na iyon. Tutulad pa kaniyo ang mga kapwa bagong sekyo mula sa panibagong ahensiya na sumunod at tularan ang ehemplo ng datihan.

        —

        Subaybayan natin kung gagantihan ng Makati Mayor ang mga nanunungkulan sa DVA. Baka pahihirapan sa mga transactiones na tatalakaying personal sa Munisipyo o City Hall ng Makati.

        —

        Iyong nagpayong? Inilantad at baka mahamugan o tamaan ng sakit ang naghahariaang Mayor sa Dasma. Mayruong night reflectors baka hindi makita dahil madilim iyong pinapayungan din.

      • take two

        @Martial, @jorge, @Kajames at mga kapwa mambabasa at kumentador.

        Tama at nararapat ang ginawa ng Dasmariñas Village Association (DVA). Prinotektahan nila ang poder nila, dahil pribado at hindi pampublikong daan. Baka mahihirapan o tagilid kung magresign iyong mga magigiting na mga sekyo mula sa Right Eight Security Agency at lumipat sa First Eagle Security Agency. Mayruon na silang naipon siguradong ‘length of service’ o mga benepisyo duon sa Right Eight.

        Kung saka-sakaling lilipat at magresign naman sa kasalakuyang ahensiya. bigyan nawa ng DVA ng pabuya o umento sa bagyong ahensiya para hindi sila talo para maakit silang lumipat. Dahil kumpiyansa na ang mga residente ng Dasma sa mga magigiting na mga sekyo na iyon. Tutulad pa kaniyo ang mga kapwa bagong sekyo mula sa panibagong ahensiya na sumunod at tularan ang ehemplo ng datihan.

        —

        Subaybayan natin kung gagantihan ng Makati Mayor ang mga nanunungkulan sa DVA. Baka pahihirapan sa mga transactiones na tatalakaying personal sa Munisipyo o City Hall ng Makati.

        —

        Iyong nagpayong? Inilantad at baka mahamugan o tamaan ng sakit ang naghahariaang Mayor sa Dasma. Mayruong night reflectors baka hindi makita dahil madilim iyong pinapayungan din.

  11. My comment to [email protected] that is awaiting moderation.

    You are right. The consortium that won the 25-year concession for NGCP in 2009 comprises of Razon of the aborted ZTE-NBN deal, Coyiuto and the State Grid Corporation of China. Yes, the NGCP franchise took the place of the infamous ZTE-NBN deal which was cancelled by GMA in October 2007 after the investigation conducted by senate blue ribbon chaired by Senator Alan Cayetano. The millions of dollars advanced by ZTE to Mike Arroyo, et. al., were paid back with the award of the 25-year NGCP concession. A generation of Filipino people now bear the burden of paying the amount of bribe pocketed by Mike Arroyo, et. al. in the aborted ZTE-NBN deal.

    According to Joey de Venecia, Mike Arroyo and Razon were closest of friends and the “coach” and “assistant coach” of the ZTE-NBN team, respectively. Indeed, Aboitiz also participated by using his home as meeting place for GMA and former speaker de Venecia to reconcile with de Venecia, Jr.

    It appears that the ZTE-NBN masters are also POWER lords.

  12. there is no doubt Japan is much ahead of us in almost everything, except of course in corruption, yet, what happened to Fukushima wss inevitable, much more in our corrupted nation. if such a disaster hits us, the impact might be two-folds, three-folds or maybe more. and will be aggravated by the ills of our politicians and a crab-minded populace. so sorry to say, the yolanda brouhaha is a good example.
    i also worked in several mega-plants and nothing compares to our performance. in kuwait alone, a simple “power dip” during a power switching operation will cost the job of the engineer or whoever is responsible for that activity.
    in our country, brownouts is so chronic yet nobody is penalized.
    maintenance shutdown can always be scheduled but in our country seems no one cares and it is only now when collusion was so apparent.
    i’m not an expert but imho, our gov’t was ill-advised of the sweetheart deals for the power generation projects

  13. For @attty RENE IPIL and CPMERs …sir maybe we should WATCH the FRANCHISE GIVEN to NGCP, the very LOW price in acquiring NAPOCOR TRANSMISSION TOWERs by the CHINESE ( mainland ) althogh KUMIKITA NAMAN before was a payback on the abborted ZTE-NBN deals by GLORIA/ABALOS and in my own opinion , even the passsage of the R.A. making SCARBOROUGH SHOAL only in the category of regime of island and by for so many long years of power by GLORYA and by not alllowing to construct ANY structures on the SHOAL to AFFIRM our ownership was included as payback on the aborted ZTE-NBN deal….

      • GANITO @ VANDER ……..wasnt it that an advance payment of so many milllion of $ were advanced to ABALOS during the ZTE-NBN scandal as per LOZADAs / DE VENECIAs statements… SO CPMERs must …

        WATCH OUT the FRANCHISE of NGCP on former NPC transinsiion lines. The Francise definitely was for transforting ONLY POWERs/electricity generated by IPPs and NPC retained power plants….i said ONLY because ….

        THE major component of the ZTE-NBN broad band project was the so called , very important parts ….the FIBER OPTIC…FIBER OPTICs….FIBER OPTICs…..very EXPENSIVE part/element……do you KNOW that the NAPOCOR TRANSMISSION TOWERs now OWNED by NGCP at the center of the lines , there was also the FIBER OPTICs parts…. ????…. KAUNTING sub-stationing or TOWERs in a distributed parts in our ISLAND to be constructed….. the main PURPOSE of that ZTE-NBN project….halos HAGIP ng ng TOWERs ng NPC………

        So FRANCHISE lang ang kailangan NILA ,,,THAT they NGCP is also alllowed for LINE COMMUNICATION…..tapos the DUAL PURPOSE na sila …kikita sa wying charges ( ang koryente na dadaan sa tower lines going to Cooperatives up to household consumers ). Pwede pa sa internet and comunication na ibenenta nila sa MURANG HALAGA na kumikita naman ang NPC noon …… NEDA knows this? I hope medya ay makalkal nila ito….and ANOMALLY to be WATCH OUT…. Pag nhaawakan ni BINAY o corrupt na presidente ito , bibigyan nila ito THRU a LAW coming fronm CONGRESS.

        • DAPST ITO ANG MAKALKAL ng HOST natin na si @ MAAM RAISSA …to prevent the congress in passing a BILL granting NGCP, the said communication franchise….OR kung mag apply man sila and it will be GRANTED,,,, ISAULI NILA ANG MATAAS na PRICE na IBINABAYAD natin sa ating mga KORYENTE…. it must be/we must be properly compensated .

    • [email protected]

      You are right. The consortium that won the 25-year concession for NGCP in 2009 comprises of Razon of the aborted ZTE-NBN deal, Coyiuto and the State Grid Corporation of China. Yes, the NGCP franchise took the place of the infamous ZTE-NBN deal which was cancelled by GMA in October 2007 after the investigation conducted by senate blue ribbon chaired by Senator Alan Cayetano. The millions of dollars advanced by ZTE to Mike Arroyo, et. al., were paid back with the award of the 25-year NGCP concession. A generation of Filipino people now bear the burden of paying the amount of bribe pocketed by Mike Arroyo, et. al. in the aborted ZTE-NBN deal.

      According to Joey de Venecia, Mike Arroyo and Razon were closest of friends and the “coach” and “assistant coach” of the ZTE-NBN team, respectively. Indeed, Aboitiz also participated by using his home as meeting place for GMA and former speaker de Venecia to reconcile with de Venecia, Jr.

      It appears that the ZTE-NBN masters are also POWER lords.

      http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/65767/news/nation/mike-arroyo-packaged-entire-nbn-zte-deal-de-venecia-iii

  14. It is a given that the major contributors to the high cost of electric power in the country are graft and corruption, “sweetheart deals” among players in the energy sector, payola to government officials, and the like.

    But to some extent the rampant, if not blatant, theft of electricity is also a contributor to the high power cost because the loss is passed on ultimately to the consumers.

    During my last vacation to the Philippines, for instance, we visited some friends and on our way to Fairview in Quezon City we passed through a long row of houses of what seems to be informal settlers. From our vantage point we can see wires upon wires of electric cables from houses connected to overhead power lines with no visible wattmeters connected in them. A friend commented to me that he used to live in an apartment where the landlord had jumper cables to bypass the wattmeter in his apartment.

    And just today the news came out that the NBI arrested a certain Davidson Bangayan, aka “David Tan”, a suspect in rice smuggling. His arrest however was not related to rice-smuggling but for alleged electricity pilferage. (See article on abs-cbnnews.com)

    If the authorities can eradicate the theft of electricity the power cost to the consuming public would go down to some extent.

  15. This charging users for their equipment maintenance is obviously “GREED!!!”

    They already have earnings for the Electrric Bill user used. Why the Hell charge the users for all those things that they should provided from their EARNINGS???? Mga AUP kayong SAKIM!!! Pinapatay nyo ang mga maliliit na gutom na sa liit ng sweldo, ginigipit nyo pa???

    Who is approving this charging system from Government? Is it the President? or someone from his Cabinet?
    This charging system should be revised.

    Example, if i have a taxi, and i will charge each passenger for the replacement of my tires, engine oil, engine repair and other charges, will this be approved by authority? Is it by LTFRB?

    Big or small establishment should be the same, why allowed this tens of charging in Electric bills, water bills and not allowed on small businesses he he he

    Kainis…sarap pagpapatayin sa kurot.