ERC asked to forego Cebu power rate hike

CEBU City south district Rep. Antonio Cuenco is asking the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to reconsider its decision to implement a P0.16 increase in the National Power Corporation’s (Napocor) power rate.

Cuenco said that he would be filing a formal motion for reconsideration before the ERC on the ground that the public was not consulted on the increase.

He said that the procedure requires a public hearing before any increase could be granted and implemented and he has not heard of any public hearing conducted by the ERC.

Cuenco also urged the consumers to file a petition for injunction in court and ask for a temporary restraining order to prevent the Napocor from implementing the P2.2412 rate hike starting next month. He said he will be joining any petition questioning the legality of the power rate increase.

Cebu Governor Pablo Garcia also asked two lawyers who earlier filed a petition for injunction against the Cebu Private Power Corporation (CPPC) to amend their petition and include the ERC and Napocor.

Garcia said that the people should also join the petition and make it a class suit against CPPC, Napocor and ERC.

The ERC ordered the Napocor on Tuesday to start implementing the P0.16 increase the commission approved on May 15. The increase was not immediately implemented because Napocor wanted a higher increase of P0.84.

But even if the increase was directly granted to Napocor, it will consequently trigger corresponding upward rate adjustments for the CPPC whose threat to shut down operations due to losses posed a looming power crisis in Cebu.

Reynaldo Regis, sales and commercial relations manager of Napocor for the Visayas, in an earlier interview said that the increase might take effect next month or late this month.

But Veco officials could not yet ascertain how much would be the increase to the consumers if the new rate is implemented. — Freeman News Service