LEYECO V Board of Directors pose with keynote speaker Atty. Emmanuel Saño after he received his plaque of appreciation. (L-R) Wilfredo Madjus, Manuel E. Bantasan Sr., OIC GM Engr. Juanito Jorda, BOD chair Litong Yap, Atty. Saño, Lamitz Pañares, Carlito David, Aurorita Y. Cruz, Amparo Bonghanoy and Adelina “Inday” Larrazabal.
LEYTE, LEYTE – Atty. Emmanuel Saño, general manager of the Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative (DORELCO) and president of the Association of Visayas Electric Cooperatives, has slammed the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA, saying it has brought more woes to the electric consumers rather than relief.
Saño, who was keynote speaker during the general assembly of the Leyte Electric Cooperative V held in this town on Saturday, August 28, was introduced earlier as the “fightingest voice” in the quest of electric cooperatives in the Visayas to reduce power rates.
He said that EPIRA which aimed to break up the government monopoly of the power industry, has instead given the crucial industry in silver platters to a monopoly of three big players in the electric industry – the Lopezes, Gokongweis and Aboitiz groups.
He said that the Leyte geothermal plants and the transmission lines were sold for P60-billion and the Palimpinon plants in Negros for P10-billion, but he is wondering now where the money went.
He said the plants were sold to pay off the debts of the National Power Corporation, but wonder or wonders, the NPC’s debt is double than what it was before now.
“Ang halin kuno, gibayad sa utang sa NPC. Ngano doble naman ang utang sa NPC (karon)?”, he said.
This, it was learned, was the meat of a privilege speech that Saño gave during a meeting with the Department of Energy just a few days ago.
Saño also bared that somehow, the cries of Visayan electric cooperatives and those affected in other parts of the country, have somewhat been heard by the newly installed Aquino government. The sale of the Unified Leyte contracts, he said, has been deferred.
Congw. Lucy Torres-Gomez of the 4th district of Leyte where the Unified Leyte plants are located, have filed a deferment of the sale of Unified Leyte and was her first bill filed in Congress during its first day of session.
Saño said that during their last negotiations with the Lopez Group, they were offered a baseload price of P 4.88 per kwh “for generation only”. It was a “take it or leave it” offer, he said. But, he added, there seemed to be a softening after the association of EC’s filed a case at the Supreme Court.
They are going back once more to the negotiating table this Tuesday, he said, and hopes the offer will be lower. He said that per computations of the EC’s in the region, the price should only be around P4.00 or even lower. They also hope to negotiate for a long term power contract.
All power supply contracts in the region are going to expire by December, this year, he added.
On the other hand, Saño added, even as they fight for the reduction of rates, he said it was also time for the electric cooperatives to find other avenues of power sources. He said that EC’s should develop their own power sources.
At this juncture, he said that Leyeco V already had plans to conduct studies on the use of wind power, and has proposals to put a mini-hydro plant at the Bao River Systems. He also suggested that Biliran and the Leyeco V should work hand in hand together to see the possibility of harnessing ocean current for electricity at the Biliran Strait that divides Biliran from mainland Leyte.
The general assembly, on the same day, approved the 20-year capital expenditure plans of the Leyeco V to the tune of P855-million. Its effect on the rates charged by Leyeco on consumers will be less than 5-centavos. The plans include studies and possible development of the aforementioned mini-hydro plant which would generate around 3MW. By Lalaine M. Jimenea
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