Thursday, November 09, 2006 Espinoza: Veco's application By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
The formula used by the Visayan Elec-tric Co. (Veco) in its application with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for the approval of its time-of-use (TOU) retail rates is too technical for laymen to understand. It defeats the purpose of publishing the application because the public, except perhaps for electrical engineers, won’t know Veco’s intention.
The formula did not mention the amount consumers will pay under the scheme. Will the TOU retail rates be beneficial to consumers? Only Veco knows.
ERC has invited the public to attend the Nov. 17 hearing on the application at Veco’s conference room in Banilad. It even urged interested persons to file their opposition. But the ERC should have asked Veco to come up with an understandable formula so the public can provide intelligent opposition.
I suspect that making the formula technical was deliberate and was intended to make it hard for the public to understand Veco’s intention. Still, will Veco’s top honchos be kind enough to publish in layman’s terms their TOU retail rates so the public will have a better understanding of their application?
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Most Filipinos are daring but lack sense. Skywalks were constructed to provide safety to pedestrians. Yet, some skywalks in Metro Cebu have become white elephants. I notice that only few people use the skywalk in crossing a road. Most of them are so lazy to go up the structure they’d rather risk their lives and limbs in using a busy road.
In Mandaue City, students of a university cross the busy A.C. Cortes Ave. in going to school and back instead of using the skywalk. They cross the road even in front of traffic enforcers.
Aware of the criticisms, Mandaue City Mayor Teddy Ouano issued Executive Order No. 23 directing the city engineer to make an inventory of the skywalks and come up with a cost estimate and a design that will allow skywalks to have escalators.
In the same order, Tedman traffic enforcers were ordered to strictly enforce the ordinance against jaywalking. It’s about time this law will be implemented.
As for me, I’d rather climb the skywalk than risk crossing a street frequented by brainless public utility drivers who drive their vehicles like they own the road. *** Rotarian Manny Lucido, a friend, needs help. Lucido, who now works with the Bureau of Immigration, is suffering from a kidney ailment and undergoes dialysis twice a week. Dialysis is an expensive medical process.
Lucido is appealing to his friends and to good Samaritans for financial assistance so he can undergo a kidney transplant. Manny said he already has a kidney donor. He can be reached at 344-5294, 345-6442 and 0916-4661462.
