Why Electric Consumers Need A Petilla in the Senate

David Celestra Tan, MSK

There is a lot of work needed to undo the damage to electric consumers of the failures of the implementation of the Epira Law, of the deregulated and privatized power industry, of the compromised regulatory authority and system, of anti-consumer rate setting methodology, and of rules full of loopholes perpetuated by the powerful vested interests.

As consumers, we can bark up as much as we want at the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission but there are reforms that need to be done at the source which is the legislature that controls not only the basic law but the oversight committee called the Joint Congressional Power Committee (JCPC).

Despite the broken system and the obvious need and uproar to rectify the Epira law, the Senate is unsympathetic to consumers flight and instead has clearly taken the position to retain the law, warts and all, and “allow it time to work”, ( yes after 15 years?!) which not coincidentally is the same song being sang by the PIPPA which has been dominated by the distributor-generator conglomerates.

There has not even been any deep debate on the law and any protestations on behalf of the consumers at the podium of the Senate by well -meaning but out-matched junior Senators, have been bullied and brushed off by the resident reactionary forces. The same forces who dominated the bicameral committee that finalized the Epira Law in June 2001.

The electric consumers badly need someone in the Senate to argue for them, to change laws to improve safeguards for consumers, to assure true competition in the power industry, to assure the long term of power supply for the country. Someone who can explain to his colleagues in clear and lucid terms the reforms that need to be undertaken. No grandstanding and no smokescreen.

It is not enough for the Peoples Champion to have the patriotism and the sincere desire. The electric consumers need a Senator who has proven intellectual depth, ready knowledge of the intricacies of the energy sector, and the demonstrated moral grounding and courage to stand up to the vested interests. Someone who has the financial and moral wherewithal to resist the tempting offers from the vested interests when they come calling for the reforms to be called off. Someone who will not sell down the people as we have seen many times in those who pretended to speak for the people only to disappear at crunch time.

There has not been any Senatorial candidate who fits such a bill for a long time. In this coming election there is one in the person of Carlos Jericho Petilla, the former DOE Secretary who presided over the Department in a very tumultuous period specially in the system breakdown of December 2013 when the wholesale electricity spot market failed the people and caused a 100% jump in the generation charge in that month.

Fondly called “Icot” in his home province of Leyte where he was a three term Governor, Petilla has demonstrated the kind of intellectual depth needed to deal with the intricacies of the sector and the games players play, the obvious power sector experience, the ready knowledge of what ails the sector, the innovative thinking in search of solutions, and equally important the courage and conviction to stand up for what is right for the people.

Ironically, not enough electric consumers are aware of Petilla’s career defining moment as Energy Secretary when he passed a bold rule requiring the mandatory subjecting of the power supply contracts to competitive bidding or selection process, obviously upsetting the distributor-generator conglomerates who had been negotiating their sweetheart deals with sister generators and passing on the cost to the consumers. This is huge for the consumers because it will open the generation market to more truly independent generators and reap the benefits of “least cost power” through robust competition.

Petilla in the Senate will contribute tremendously to the better understanding by the Senate and its energy committee of the failures of the power sector and the logic of proposed solutions. They will not easily be misled and snowed by the allies of the vested interests. Solutions can be identified and passed into law much faster.

“Luzonites” knock him for “failing to deliver on his promised repair timetable of the typhoon ravaged Leyte”. Petilla can be faulted for underestimating the challenge of repairing the downed power lines. But his willingness to be accountable for the “failure” to finish as he promised is admirable and rare. He offered his resignation to the President. That’s the kind of upright character we need from our public servants. The willingness to be accountable and take responsibility.

Petilla is a real deal and someone the electric consumers have been direly needing in the legislature. Someone who can enunciate the deep issues on behalf of the electric consumers and eloquently argue for the urgently needed reforms and solutions.

Let us hope enough electric consumers in the Meralco area recognize this rare opportunity to put someone of his caliber for quality representation in the Senate.

Electric Consumers must vote Carlos Jericho “Icot” Petilla to the Senate.

Matuwid na Singil sa Kuryente Consumer Alliance Inc.