MANILA – President Benigno Aquino has ordered concerned government agencies find ways to bring down power costs and said his administration is open to any initiative to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA of 2001.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also said the government’s hands will not be tied by business interests as it looks for solutions to the problem.
Valte said the government is not allowed to run its own power plants because of the EPIRA. “The EPIRA prevents government from being a power generator,” she said.
“It’s a cause of concern. The President has already given instructions to relevant agencies to see what they can do,” Valte said, adding the government will also have to scrutinize various suggested solutions.
“While you believe the Executive (department) has so much perceived power, we are limited by what the law says. There is no magic wand to wave,” she said.
“We look at the stage they are in and we look at the meat of the proposal,” she added.
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