MSK Addresses Myrna Velasco’s Sentiments on CSP

Ms. Myrna Velasco, Energy Writer

Manila Bulletin

(Author’s Note: Bulletin Reporter Myrna Velasco wrote a scathing letter to MSK over what she perceived to be a maligning statement in MSK’s Open Letter to Mr. MVP. This is MSK’s response. We are also posting the letter of Ms. Velasco in full. As always, you be the judge.)

Dear Myrna:

We believe you are referring to a passage in our Open Letter to Mr. MVP observing you as “a consistently anti-CSP writer”. Kindly be assured it was not intended to malign you or your profession since balanced and truthful reporting is a hallmark of our democracy. And we as humble consumer volunteers will not be so presumptuous as to cross a member of the Fourth State.

Our interpretation of your writings on the issue of CSP in the last months was not intended to shoot you as a messenger but the impression cannot be helped if that messenger had been carrying mainly the message of one side and the reading public specially the consumers do not see sufficient effort “to get into the deepest of the details to verify and validate the veracity of the claims, issues, and concerns of ALL parties”, to quote your message.

We believe an honest re-reading of your news and special reports on the subject would bear the unmistakable spin towards pushing the positions of Meralco and PIPPA on the issue of the mandatory CSP and its delay in implementation and/or applicability.

At the public consultations jointly held by the DOE and ERC at the Intercon Hotel in Makati on October 6, 2015, you questioned ERC’s Atty. Juan if making the CSP mandatory would be an admission on the part of the ERC that it is incompetent to protect the public interest. Oddly, that was precisely a major argument of Meralco in their defense submitted to the ERC of their right to negotiate power supply contracts in relation to MSK’s petition for a rule change to require mandatory competitive bidding of power supply contracts. We would think that someone seeking a balanced news account might have asked also what is the impact to the consumers of the current system of negotiated bilateral power supply contracts with sister companies. We don’t recall you seeking MSK’s comment when we were right there in the venue. By the way, since you were there at the public hearing presumably to report on the proceedings, may we know when your account of the event was reported in the Manila Bulletin so we can look it up?

Now that we have your email address we are sure our public info volunteers will henceforth put you in the loop on our opinions and policy advocacies which, by the way, are not intended to be “publicity stunts” but are efforts to get the message across to the consumers in ways that it can afford. God bless the internet.

The fear of MSK was that a delay in the implementation of the mandatory CSP would give Meralco the chance to fast track the signing and filing of mid-night power supply contracts so that they can beat and outsmart the applicability of the CSP rules, something that would be detrimental to the Meralco consumers. If you have a different opinion, we would think those should be expressed as opinions and not as news in the interest of transparency to the reading public.

Honestly, despite the passing of the implementing resolution by the ERC, we at MSK are holding our breath to find out how many of Meralco PowerGen’s bilateral contracts with Meralco had “beaten” the applicability of the CSP due to the delay, delays that occurred because of the myriad procedural issues raised by an evidently multi-sectoral plank singing Meralco’s tune.

MSK had raised in its Open Letter to Mr. MVP many deep consumer issues related to Meralco’s self-negotiated contracts and its monopolization of power generation. We wonder if you might find those of public service interest to tackle.

To address your curiosity, I am 68 years old and at least 3 years beyond my intended retirement age. The advocacy was borne out of the realization that the power sector is a mess and lost, the consumers overcharged, the country not industrially competitive, and clearly could use illuminating explanations and innovative ideas on policy direction. The anti-monopoly ideals of the EPIRA Law are dead through the loopholes. I invite you to go over my writings in our matuwid.org website. In our country that has grown cynical of consumer groups, kindly be assured this advocacy is purely for the purpose of leaving for the benefit of the community the personal knowledge and experiences that God blessed me with. I could walk into the sunset with that knowledge but I thought it would be selfish not sharing it at this time that I sincerely feel it is needed. There is no hidden business or publicity agenda, be assured. It is also called sharing your blessings and giving back to the community. And we are doing it at great peril to our lives.

As one of my mentors like to say, MSK is on the right side of the issue but on the wrong side of the money.

I do want to share with you Myrna that in this public interest advocacy MSK was apparently naïve in expecting that the media will automatically pick up and give equal coverage to public interest issues. It has been a rude awakening.

My actual experience and deep knowledge in the industry is what makes MSK’s policy advocacies precise and prescient. If we do not make sense no one will listen. I am also retiring fully contented that the projects I made happen were in themselves advocacies for power cost reduction and improvement of services in the missionary areas. I am proud of our rates and the solutions they provided compared to those other power projects in the same area and era.

In any case Myrna, your allusion to my record and background is yes, too far and personal, but you are forgiven. If you feel you were maligned by our reader’s impressions of your reports, I want to apologize, sincerely.

Lastly, kindly be assured our advocacies are not about me but about consumer welfare. And we are just getting started. I hope someday we might find ourselves on the same side with you in a truly public interest issue, working hand in hand for the greater good.

God Bless.

Matuwid na Singil sa Kuryente Consumer Alliance Inc.

David Celestra Tan

Co-Convenor