The latest brouhaha on electricity cost is another first-rate example why we remain a developing country with no real progress to show. Perhaps our only real development is in making progress where it doesn’t matter: we want to prove that our corrupt government is corrupt; we justified a Desperate Housewife’s remark on our doctors by letting medical professionals violate all sorts of protocol during a medical procedure and post it on YouTube for the whole world to see; and lately, we want to bring down electricity cost because—surprise! We have the second highest electricity cost in Asia!— by haphazardly deciding to take over a private enterprise.
A government takeover of a strategic industry like power distribution sounds wicked to me for obvious reasons. Here we are long wanting to privatize the National Power Corporation (Napocor) and yet we want to place a private electric utility company under government control. Aren’t we sending a confusing message to the international business community? And based on experience, our government is not exactly the most competent institution to run a business, more so provide a guarantee to bring value for money.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m no Lopez baby. I also distrust the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) for the overcharge and systems loss issues that it tries to address through a series of full-page, black and white print ads in broadsheets and dailies—the cost of which, I hope, won’t be passed on to consumers. The print ads come across as defensive; they also sound quite arrogant, war-freak, enough to bring about more confusion than clarity.
And when a company whose services I pay for answers my doubts and questions through a print ad, I am highly skeptical. As a Meralco customer who pays bills on time, I prefer straightforward answers sent to me in the most personal communication approach possible. I deserve this because between Winston Garcia and me, I am more brutally affected by this issue—like many other Filipino consumers now in limbo trying to determine who is telling the truth and which truth to believe.
And how can I miss out on the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)? It has not only become Meralco’s scapegoat for approving all petitions for pass-on charges (that’s why Meralco calls it ‘legal’), but it has proven once again that regulatory commissions are nothing but inutile, invertebrate warm bodies whose hairy balls should be fed to the malnourished sharks in Manila Bay.
In Thursday’s headline of The Philippine Star, ERC chairman Rodolfo Albano Sr. blamed Congress for crafting laws that were used by ERC as basis for allowing pass-on charges to consumers. Surprise! Surprise! Albano is a former seven-term Isabela representative to the same Congress he blames. Funny, isn’t it?
I can go on further, but I’m already exhausted. Like millions of Filipinos, I will just wait and see, do my work, love my family, and pray to God that something good will come out of this melee.
Truth well told indeed. When will our government shape up? I can only dream and hope.
http://milkcashcow.wordpress.com
joe narvaez: thanks for dropping by. with all the fitness and health consciousness going on, the government is sorely lagging behind.
It just goes to show the devastating impact of the high cost of oil. When oil is expensive, everything becomes expensive.
The problem with Meralco is not ony that their price increase isn’t indexed to the country’s consumer prices there also seems to be no benchmarks on their profitability, as in would the govt allow them to make profits as much as they can ?
I think the government has to step in and take control measures like legislating Meralco price hikes. Being an essential services company, the govt must exercise its power to control and regulate Meralco’s rate relative to how much people can take and at the same time ensuring that Meralco remains profitable, but not excessively profitable.
FYI, your blog requires that every poster must sign on to WordPress! I hope Blogger posters are able to post. Just a note
bw: or perhaps government can lift the taxes on generation, transmission, and distribution? some say doing this would drastically bring down power rates. but i doubt it if this administration is willing to give up tax revenues from this industry.
and thanks for your note; i don’t know why this thing comes up from time to time. anyway, i’ll check the settings.
i’m so happy the commenting system is back for non-wordpress people!!! i wanted to tell you for the longest time that i had trouble posting comments but you don’t have your email ad anywhere here. hehe.
anyway, great post, man! it’s good to read and post a comments here again. =D
Let’s kell them all. (Private joke, to people who don’t know us).
acey: so glad you’re back! hahaha
thanks to bw for telling me about the comment feature; i wouldn’t have known this was the reason you were uber quiet lately. then again, i see you have many “fans” in your blog — united nations na nga ang dating eh! hahahaa 
mussolini:
man, i’ll remember that joke in my entire lifetime. it’s classec…i mean, classic.. hahaha! 
just so you know, i don’t read the papers or listen to the news or watch the telly. but do get current with your current events.
{illyria}: you’re not losing much by not hearing the news, believe me. i only read headlines in the front page and i sort of know the rest of the story
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Fecal!!