Malacañang probes ERC chief over power hike mess

MANILA, Philippines - A Palace official said Tuesday that a new division under the Office of the Executive Secretary has started its probe on Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Zenaida Ducut.

According to Communications Sec. Sonny Coloma, the Investigative and Adjudicatory Division in Malacañang is now handling the administrative complaint filed by the Akbayan Party-list against Ducut.

"The new office has received the complaint of Akbayan and has started looking into the accusations," Coloma said in Filipino at a televised press briefing on Tuesday.

Akbayan has requested the Palace to investigate Ducut for allegedly abandoning her duty to protect consumers from the power rate hike of the Manila Electric Company.

Coloma had said that for now, there is no basis to ask Ducut to resign or take a leave of absence.

Last week, Ducut appeared at the Senate hearing on the power rate hike, but denied accusations that the ERC is a mere "rubberstamp" when it allowed the power rate increase.

During the same Senate hearing, Meralco President Oscar Reyes reiterated that their power rate hike is due to the simultaneous maintenance shutdowns of major baseload power plants and of the Malampaya facility.