CEPALCO, Cagayan de Oro’s source of electricity is robbing all its consumers and yet nobody seems to care. Election is coming but no politicians have ever made it as their political agenda to convince the rich electric company to cut its fees.
Everyone suffers from these "broad daylight robbery." The company charges among the highest in the many electric companies that service the people of Northern Mindanao.
Cepalco has raised its charges non-stop despite of the lower cost of energy in the world market. My electric bill in Aug. 2017 with a consumption of 412 kwh was P4,184 but one year later with lesser consumption of 408 kwh it increased to P5,282.28.
According to a study by renewable energy advocate and president of Mindanao Coalition of Power Consumers Engr. David Tauli, Cepalco’s electricity is the costliest in Region X. The company raised its generation charge rate rates from P4.6 per kwh to P7.55 per kwh from July of 2014, to July of this year. Take note that is only for generation charges.
Meaning the total rate charges are higher. So, per consumer in 2014 paid a total of P8.9554 per kilowatt. Since there has been an 86 per cent increase in the span of four years for the generation charges. Then do the math and you will see how much we are being charged today.
This is a hell raising 86% increase in the span of four years. The company refused to attend the Mindanao Power Situation Forum last September to air their side. But according to Engr. Tauli these rates have been approved by the Energy Regulatory Board (ERC) and there is nothing we could do.
“The ERC who approved these are either corrupt or incompetent,” the report said.
The main reason why these rates are skyrocketing is that Cepalco has built a very expensive coal plant and it is charging the consumers expensive electricity that they get from these coal plant. The company just want a return of its investments as quick as possible. Never mind the suffering of the people, Cepalco just wants its money back for its P14 billion investment on its coal plant, ASAP.
Now enter the solar companies who promise us to cut our bills. It is very true. If you go solar, you cut your electric bills by around P1,500 every month. But can we afford it? Solar Electricity it expensive even though the sun is free.
Who could afford P80,000 to convert a household into on-grid solar electricity. Then the off-grid and the hybrid is much more expensive at around P180,000. It is not worth it. I could afford it but I will not invest. You spend that amount of money and there is too much hassle.
How about the poor? They could hardly pay for their monthly bill of less than P500 how much more the large amount of P80,000. And note more than 50% of Filipinos are poor. Majority of Cagayanons are also poor.
The only way for Cepalco to help the people of Cagayan de Oro is to cut its rates. It is earning billions every year and only the shareholders enjoy them.
Cepalco should share its blessings to the people of Cagayan de Oro this Christmas. It won’t get poor if it takes away a little profit from its billions of annual revenues. Cepalco please cut your rates. (l.biantan@gmail.com)