Gov’t won’t answer petition vs power rate hike

MANILA, Philippines - The government will not answer a consolidated petition in the Supreme Court (SC) questioning the legality of the  Manila Electric Co (Meralco)’s P4.15 per kilowatt-hour power rate hike.

It is leaving the task to Meralco, although the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) were named respondents.

Meralco was also set to file its comment yesterday, the deadline for respondents to answer the petition.

In a motion yesterday, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) asked to be excused from filing comment as the DOE and ERC are not required to answer the petitions, since they were merely nominal respondents.

A nominal party is one not directly involved in the case.

An oral argument on the case has been set on Jan. 21, and the parties will meet on Jan. 13 for preliminary conference.

The SC has issued a temporary restraining order stopping the implementation of the rate hike for 60 days.

Petitioners alleged that their constitutional right to due process was violated when the ERC approved the price adjustment without conducting public hearings.

They questioned why the ERC, a DOE attached agency, approved the rate increase last Dec. 9 just four days after Meralco submitted its proposal, citing lack of notice and hearings.

The public was also not duly informed about the adjustment since there was no publication, they added.

Filing the petitions were Bayan Muna and consumer groups led by National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms (Nasecore).

In its petition, Nasecore urged the SC to order the creation of a committee, with the Commission on Audit as head, to conduct an automatic audit on electricity rate adjustments of Meralco since 2004.

Noise barrage at Petron, ERC

Public transport drivers and operators held a noise barrage at the offices of Petron Corp. and the ERC in Pasig at 11 a.m. yesterday.

The protesters gathered in Cubao, Quezon City early morning and marched to the Petron and ERC offices in Ortigas Center to denounce the impending power rate hike and continuous overpricing of oil products.

George San Mateo, PISTON national president, said they are seeking a P6 discount in gasoline stations nationwide to raise the drivers’ take-home pay. – Edu Punay, Non Alquitran