Perez to push EO that will benefit both power firms and consumers

Energy Secretary Vincent S. Perez said he would push for an Executive Order (EO) which will benefit both the electric cooperatives and the electricity users.

"We are trying to work out a new concept or the so-called self-imposed reforms wherein the ultimate beneficiaries are consumers," Perez said.

Perez’s statement came after a group of electric cooperatives expressed disappointment over the delay in the condonation of the electric cooperatives’ P17 billion loan provided for under the RA 9136 or Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

Under the proposed self-imposed reforms, Perez said, electric coops would be allowed to draw up their own reform program based on their performance. "We will implement these reforms based on the individual performance of electric coops or based on their efficiencies. They will be categorized from A to E. But this will be implemented by them rather than us telling them to improve their efficiencies," he added.

According to Perez, the original EO, which apparently rejected by eight Cabinet members in a recent meeting in Malacañang, contained what the electric coops have been requesting in the first place. "This is why I am sad that they (electric coops) are passing the blame on me. I tried my best to come up with a favorable program for them. What can I do the Cabinet rejected the first draft that I submitted," he added.

The first EO, drafted by the DOE, national Electrification Administration (NEA) and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), Perez said, carried "no reforms" which was what the electric coops want.

"We need to redraft the EO in line with the reform agenda of President Arroyo. We have to be more progressive and we need a more reliable service from the electric coops," he said. –Donnabelle L. Gatdula