A labor group on Wednesday called on Congress the review the impact of decades of privatization of public utilities on consumers and national development.
Partido Manggagawa (PM) Spokesman Wilson Fortaleza said lawmakers should initiative the assessment against the backdrop of current developments.
“It is time for Congress to conduct a summation of our privatization experience, draw hard lessons from it, and bind the President to a judicious exercise of emergency powers when needed,” said Fortaleza.
“We will not challenge our lawmakers to repent. But they may consider this demand for renationalization as institutional redemption to rectify decades of injustice,” he added.
He said the burden of review lies with Congress since it legislated for the privatization of the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage System (MWSS) in 1997, oil deregulation in 1998 and power privatization in 2001. PM said the allowing the private sector to take over the said utilities did not improve its delivery to customers.
“Some 10 million
Filipinos are still without access to electricity, while nearly 7 million out
of 105 million Filipinos rely on unimproved, unsafe and unsustainable water
sources, and more than 24 million lack access to improved sanitation,” said
Fortaleza, citing news
reports.
PM issued the statement after President Duterte said he may utilize his emergency power to take over public utility to address the water crisis in Metro Manila.
Fortaleza said his group will back Duterte’s pronouncement.
The President made the pronouncement after water concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water Co. announced rotational interruptions last week due to the low water levels at Angat and Ipo dams.
Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo described the possible government takeover of the water concessionaires as legal, but stressed that there should first be a declaration of a national emergency.
The grant of emergency powers to the President for the purpose of addressing the water crisis, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, is feasible.
Article XII Section 17 of the 1987 Constitution states that: “In times of national emergency, when the public interest so requires, the State may, during the emergency and under reasonable terms prescribed by it, temporarily take over or direct the operation of any privately owned public utility or business affected with public interest.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes