Workers denounce high power rates

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu workers under the newly-formed NAGKAISA vowed to campaign actively to lower the cost of electricity and expose the failure of the Electricity Power Industry Reform Act and will fight against the Open Access and Retail Competition.

In a two-day summit on power that began yesterday and attended by some 80 NAGKAISA leaders, the group denounced the massive failure of the EPIRA law which runs counter to its main objective of lowering the cost of electricity.

NAGKAISA convenor Joshua Mata said that the Philippines has the highest price of electricity in the world and the EPIRA law delivered the individual to the control of a handful power moguls.

NAGKAISA, the biggest broad labor coalition composed of 40 labor centers, federations and organizations also denounced the "Open Access" policy of the government.

Art Barrit, spokesperson of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said that under the present set-up, it is only the big industrial and industrial users who will benefit from open access.

Barrit said that the consuming public will end up as the ultimate loser.

"The complexities of the power industry as experienced in Luzon would mean another setback in the making for the Visayas consumers," Barrit said in a statement.

Wislon Fortaleza of the Partido ng Manggagawa said that such scheme would only benefit the big industrial and commercial users at the expense of consumer's welfare.

The Open Access is set to be implemented by the third week of October.

NAGKAISA members said that are too wary of the implication of this policy.

Under the EPIRA law or the Republic Act 9136, OARC will create competition in the retail supply of the electric power sector. Under this scheme, customers are supposed to have a "free hand" to choose their power provider. (FREEMAN)