Sunday, May 18, 2008 Group readies raps v. Meralco
SAYING that they had enough of the “unjustly imposed and oppressively collected electric rates”, 28 non-government and people’s organization said they are readying a class action suit against officials of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
Calling themselves as the “Refund Movement”, the group led by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said they would file the class suit against Meralco officials in two weeks before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and demanded three remedies from what they said is the “onerous” electric rates being imposed on the consumers.
1. A full accounting of the amounts collected by Meralco under the controversial systems loss charges, and other charges including but not limited to top generation charges, transmission charges, metering charges and the universal charges.
2. The immediate issuance of a cease and desist order by the ERC against the continued billings of the systems loss and other unjust charges by Meralco.
3. A full and speedy refund of all the monies collected by Meralco under the unfair charges collected from its consumers.
But the group said they opposed any government takeover of the firm, the continued imposition of the expanded value-added tax (e-VAT) on power, oil and other important products as well as the “sweetheart deals” allegedly entered into by Meralco with its own independent power producers (IPPs).
The group said they also deplored the inefficiency of the government particularly the ERC and the National Power Corporations (Napocor) through Napocor’s dubious loans and contracts which they added resulted in the public paying billions of pesos in losses.
Refund Movement also criticized the alleged preferential treatment Meralco gives to other Lopez companies and the company’s reported practice of passing on its losses and office expenses to the consumers.
During last week’s Senate hearing, Meralco executives admitted that the power firm passed on to the public the company’s electricity bills amounting to P427.5 million annually. The company said it is part of the system loss that Meralco is allowed to charge and is supported by law.
According to the group, it is the Metro Manila consumers that suffer from the company’s questionable transactions.
VACC chairman Dante Jimenez said the group’s lawyers would be composed of veteran lawyers such as Rod Domingo who has gained fame as the counsel of the close to 10,000 human rights victims during the reign of the late strongman, Ferdinand Marcos.
Domingo also served as lawyer of the victims of the Ozone fire disco tragedy in Quezon City several years ago.
Aside from Domingo, other lawyers are Jose Villegas who also counseled for the coconut farmers in the famous coco levy case, Pete Principe, Leonard De Vera and Chely Fiel.
Jimenez said aside from Meralco, they are also looking at filing similar cases against officials of local electric cooperatives who he said are also charging the same fees as Meralco.
Meanwhile, Malacañang welcomed a reported offer by the Lopez family to talk with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo amidst the row involving Meralco.
But deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Rolando Golez Jr. said the Palace will refuse the talks if they will include the row between Meralco and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
“If it is a dialogue with the President to lower the power rates, that is very much welcome. That is the objective of the President, to lower rates. But if the objective is to talk about discussion of Meralco and GSIS as we have said, the matter between GSIS and Meralco is between GSIS and Meralco. If the objective is to lower rates, the President will welcome very much the talks,” Golez said.
“The issue between GSIS and Meralco is strictly between GSIS and Meralco. The President is keeping out of it,” he added. (AH/JMR/Sunnex)
