Laoag City, Ilocos Norte – Senator Win Gatchalian is pushing for the passage of his Senate Bill 1308 which aims to establish a stable, sustainable and affordable electric industry in the country through a competitive selection process (CSP) with inputs from the ground and stakeholders.
In his speech during the Continuing Regulatory Education for Stakeholders (CREST) held in Laoag, he said that he wants his bill to be passed so that the Philippines can enjoy cheaper but reliable electric power supply. He said that the CSP involving a third party will make the electric power industry competition more robust.
“We hope to pass the bill before our break in July but we are still open for comments and suggestions especially from our ordinary consumers,” Gatchalian said.
He said that a technical working group is currently conducting public hearings to collect accurate and timely information, suggestions and useful opinions to further strengthen the said bill.
“The first step is to learn from the past and use this experience to strengthen the bill to become a law,” Gatchalian added.
The salient features of his bill includes the enhancement of competition and transparency; provision of a centralized CSP through auction bidding; a mandate for unconstructed demand of the captive market; submission of a power supply management plan by distribution utilities (DUs); standard Power Supply Agreement (PSA) and all information related to CSP availability online or thru portal for public viewing especially the academe.
“There should be transparency from our DUs for us to have standardized rules for CSP,” Gatchalian said.
The CREST was initiated by the Energy Regulatory Commission and attended by their representatives, the Department of Energy (DOE), the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), electric coop distribution utilities, journalists and other stakeholders.
The CREST held in Loaog City, Ilocos Norte aimed at aiding stakeholders and journalists a better understanding of the intricacies of the electric power industry in the country.
By Dionisio Dennis