Ceneco congressional inquiry reset to Dec 5

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Bacolod Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya said on Monday that the congressional inquiry on the complaints against the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) originally scheduled on Nov 29, 2022 was reset to Dec 5, 2022.

Gasataya said the House of Representatives Committee on Energy will also hear the complaints in Congress, not in Bacolod City.

He said he was informed of the change in schedule by Committee on Energy chairperson and Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco.

Ceneco executives are expected to attend the hearing as well as officials of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

Issues currently plaguing Ceneco consumers are the frequent brownouts and the high electric rates.

The inquiry was pushed under House Resolution 475, as well as calls from Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez.

Earlier, Ceneco president Jojit Yap said they welcome the move of Congress.

However, Yap said Congress should look at the bigger picture, particularly the real causes of high electricity rates.

“This is a national problem affecting all electric coops that they should address. We in the ECs (electric cooperatives) are hoping that this would lead to a House and Senate review of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) and other national policies (which are of their own making) that have greatly affected the consumers,” she said.

Yap said that if Congress wants to reduce power rates then “they should act on it.”

“Actually, kon gusto sang congress i-reduce ang rates, dapat sila ma action,” Yap said in connection with the congressional inquiry to be conducted by the House Committee on Energy on Dec 5, 2022.

“First, they should review the EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) that they passed,” she added.

Yap claimed it is the root cause of the rate increase of electricity.

“As always, ang gasaka pirme amu ang generation cost sang mga IPPs (independent power producers). Wala man iya increase sa charges nga ga kadto sa Ceneco (since 2011 pa) and other ECs,” she said.

She pointed out that “dapat i-review na sang congress kay sila man nag pass sang EPIRA Law that has provisions for automatic generation rates adjustment (AGRA).”

She said the ECs (Electric Cooperatives) believe power generators increase their rates at their whim.

ERC should regulate the generation price, Yap further said.

“Why can’t the ERC regulate it? That is the question, your guess is as good as mine,” Yap asked.

She added that the issue of frequent power interruptions is a technical concern not just with the electric coops.

This also involves the NGCP and other stakeholders of transmission and distribution lines.