Pinakikilos ni Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez ang Kamara para repasuhin at rebisahin kung kinakailangan ang aniya’y “super franchise” ng Meralco.
Tinukoy nito sa kaniyang privilege speech na Kongreso ang nagbigay ng prangkisa sa electric distribution company, at ang Kongreso rin ang maaaring bumawi nito.
“Mr. Speaker, ang Kongresong ito ay naging parte po ng pagbuo ng super franchise. In accordance with Republic Act 9513, we created a super franchise for them. And the power of this Congress is to amend, to revoke, to suspend, and even subdivide their franchise. It’s high time, Mr. Speaker, it’s high time that this Congress, in accordance with Section 17 or Republic Act 9209, creating the franchise of Meralco be invoked because the power of this Congress that was given to them, the franchise is not exclusive. If public interest so requires, Section 17 will apply,” sabi ni Fernandez.
Sa kaniyang privilege speech sinabi ng kongresista na maliban sa kabuuan ng NCR ay kinokontrol na rin ng Meralco ang CALABARZON, kasama ang Laguna, Pampanga at Bulacan at mayroon din sa Bohol.
Paglilinaw naman ni Meralco communications head Joe Zaldarriaga, na hindi Meralco ang may hawak sa 70% ng kuryente sa Luzon.
Aniya 90% ng industrial consumption at 1/3 ng commercial consumption sa Meralco area ay sinusuplayan ng ibang kompanya gaya ng Aboitiz at First Gen.
Tinukoy din ng opisyal ang iba’t ibang Electric Cooperatives (ECs) at Distribution Utilities (DUs) na nagsisilbi sa CALABARZON gaya ng FLECO (sa Laguna), BATELEC I, BATELEC II (biggest EC in the country), Ibaan Electric, First Bay, Quezelco I, Quezelco III, at iba pa.
Iilang barangay lang din aniya ang sineserbisyuhan ng Meralco sa Pampanga dahil mayroon nang mga EC at DUs na naroon gaya ng Angeles Electric, PELCO I, PELCO II, PELCO III, at San Fernando Light.
“…while Meralco is the largest utility in the country, it has never committed and has no record of any anti competitive behavior or abuse of market power. On the contrary, we have always managed to supply electricity to our customers in the most transparent and least cost manner, and is the only distribution utility that has complied with an ERC directive to refund distribution charges by refunding more than 48 Billion pesos in 2023. Meralco has always capitalized on economies of scale to ensure that it can get the lowest generation cost from its power suppliers,” ani Zaldarriaga.| ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
