DOE: Binga project remains canceled

The Department of Energy reiterated yesterday that the boards of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) have not paid the P700 million settlement claim the Binga Hydroelectric Power Inc. is demanding from the government for the rehabilitation of the Binga power project in Itogon, Benguet.

The issue of settlement claims and counter claims has been forwarded to the IPP review inter-agency committee, as part of its mandate, to seriously study the contracts entered into by the Napocor with the independent power producers (IPPs), Napocor said in a statement.

"As far as the Napocor and PSALM board are concerned, the Binga contract has been canceled and remains canceled. Any insinuation that the government is considering ‘reviving’ the project to give it back to the BHEPI is purely speculative," Napocor said in a statement.

The law firm Villaraza & Angangco, formerly known as Carpio Villaraza and Cruz law offices, also denied it assisted the Chian Chiang Jiang Energy Corp. (CCJEC) or Catalino Tan in their efforts to collect the alleged P700 million collections from the Napocor.

"Neither the law office nor anyone who used to be connected with it assisted in any way CCJEC Phils. or Mr. Catalino Tan in their efforts to collect the alleged P700 million collectives from (Napocor)," said the firm’s senior partner Raoul Angangco.