THE Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) is calling on Visayan Electric Company to renegotiate its contract with power generators to lower the cost of electricity in their franchise area.

The MCCI wants the Visayan Electric to renegotiate the prices of two of the highest power producers for the distribution utility--power generators Cebu Private Power Corp. and Green Core Geothermal Inc.

“A year into the pandemic and everyone is still trying to rise above our different problems. It is very difficult to recover when the businesses are saddled with debts and financial obligations that are piling up. While there are people and businesses that are already in the recovery phase, there are still those who have yet to get back on their feet,” said MCCI president Steven Yu in a statement issued Tuesday, April 6, 2021, noting that both the public and private sectors are still dealing with the effects of the pandemic.

“The MCCI is willing to participate in this process and work with Visayan Electric to find a reasonable solution to this problem, of course within the bounds set by regulatory rules,” he added.

Visayan Electric declined to comment on the issue.

Moreover, Yu said lower power rates would be a big help to Visayan Electric’s residential, commercial and industrial customers.

“It cannot be denied that Visayan Electric did its part to provide electricity when the different areas in its franchise plunged into lockdown last year. Thank you for that. But we would just like to ask one more thing from you. Please consider renegotiating your contracts with your power generators, especially those with really high prices,” he said.

CCCI’s appeal