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Volume 2, Number 17              June 2 - 8,  2002                     Quezon City, Philippines







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Meralco for Public service? Ha ha ha ha!

By POWER (People Opposed to Warrantless Electricity Rates)

The broad coalition People Opposed to Warrantless Electricity Rates (POWER) today laughed at Meralco's claims it is for public service, saying that "its all bluster. What the public knows is that M in Meralco stands for masiba or insatiable as far as superprofits are concerned."

POWER has bared a NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST on Wednesday, June 5 against the hated Purchased Power Adjustment and Meralcos pending application for doubling the basic charge. Highlights of the protests is a Metro-wide Motorcade at 9:00 am, a big march at 5:00 am en route to Mendiola where a rally will be held at 6:00 pm. Protest actions will be punctuated by a nationwide protest blackout at 9:00 pm.

"Mr. Manolo Lopez may claim everything he wants about his company. What he cannot deny is that Meralco is despised the public for the illegal and unjust surcharges it levies on the public as what the Energy Regulatory Commission said in its order dated April 30, 2002," said POWER Convenor Fanny Abaya.

Abaya refers to an ERC decision ordering Meralco to explain P12.34-billion in PPAs charged by Meralco without the commission's approval.

"But what galls us all the more is that the current publicity binge is trying to cover up Meralco's Dec. 26, 2002 petition to double its basic charges and its long list of other sins against consumers," said Abaya.

Abaya said that "this petition for unbundling of rates was drafted in a way that more insertions were made and, if implemented, may result in the doubling of basic charges, the removal of subsidies for lifeline consumers, government hospitals and educational institutions."

"Meralco explains this by saying that they deserve to have a return-on-rate-base of more than any utulity firm in the country. Their greed for profits is obviously insatiable," said Abaya.

"If this is what Mr. Lopez means, sa kanila na lang ang pub
lic service nila. They better turn over the utility firm to the State because all they want are superprofits and not public service," she added.

The POWER spokesperson said that Meralco should also explain why the public is forced to shoulder expenses for the Meralco theatre, Meralco offices and properties and, as alleged in several reports, other Lopez-owned companies like the plush Rockwell mall.

"They also have to appraise the public on the status of Meralco consumers' deposits which may now run to billions of pesos. We have yet to receive a full accounting of these deposits that should be returned to us with interest," said Abaya. 

Secretariat: 23 Maamo Street, Sikatuna Village
Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. No. 4359151 Fax 9225211
Emails: konsyumer@email.com, konsyumer@go.com


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