Lawmaker wants energy commission probed

BAYAN party-list Representative Teddy Casiño is seeking a congressional inquiry on the mandated powers of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

This after the P692 million under-recoveries of the Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) to be passed on to power consumers in Iloilo City and the rest of the province of Iloilo.

Casiño said on Monday the ERC competence is questionable and the congressional inquiry will look over the policy on performance-based regulation with the hope to return to rate-based performance.

The PEDC under-recoveries will cover the testing and commissioning of the first coal-fired power plant here and will be implemented in five years.

Casiño said it is highly immoral and gross to charge the end-consumers of PEDC.

The party-list lawmaker also said he is filing a resolution to repeal the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, which only spawned more sufferings to power consumers.

Similarly, the resolution seeks to remove the value-added tax on power consumption.

Meanwhile, Casiño, a graduating party-list lawmaker, announced the possible Bayan party-list nominees in the 2013 midterm election. The nominees are incumbent Neri Colmenares of Negros, Carlos Serate of Davao and Hope Hervilla of Iloilo. (Lydia C. Pendon)