MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 8, 2014) – The Aquino administration said it remains committed to protect the welfare of Filipinos by ensuring that the people would not suffer unjustifiable price hikes.
“As the President Benigno Aquino has pointed out, the trigger for the significant power rate increase that is now at issue in the Supreme Court was a foreseeable event for which Meralco (Manila Electric Company) and other industry players should have prepared,” a government spokesman Secretary Herminio Coloma said.
He said Aquino believes in enforcing the provision of the EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) on possible disgorgement of profits if current investigations by the Department of Energy and the Department of Justice will establish that there has been collusion among the industry players.
“Most importantly, government believes that unjustifiable price hikes should not be passed on to the people. Therefore, the proposed petition for the lifting of the TRO (temporary restraining order) is not consistent with the public interest,” Coloma said.
“To recall the President’s previous statement Under Article II, Section 5 of our Constitution’s General Welfare provision, I think it is incumbent that, inasmuch as this situation greatly affects the welfare of so many of our countrymen, we should know what actually transpired and what corrective action should be undertaken to address that situation,” he added.
Coloma said the electric power industry is imbued with public interest.
“Public interest dictates that electric service be provided continuously and without unjustified interruption,” he said.
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