The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is reaching out to consumers through a series of meetings with various consumer groups to discuss various issues related to the competitive selection process (CSP) and the pending applications for power-supply agreements (PSAs) filed by the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).
ERC Chairman Agnes VST Devanadera conducted a dialogue on January 19 with some consumer groups to listen to their issues.
“This consumer dialogue started from a simple conversation and has now developed into a forum where we can discuss the consumers’ issues and concerns on electricity matters. We will take their issues into consideration, but we also have to manage their expectations considering the fact that there is already a pending case before the Supreme Court on CSP,” Devanadera said.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC), particularly Erwin Puhawan of FDC, Romeo Junia of UFCC and FDC, and Mark Tecson, Rodolfo Javellana Jr. and Uriel Borja of UFCC.
The ERC said the groups provided various documents to the agency. Among these are proposals on how to bring down electricity rates.
They also requested Devanadera to reply on their position papers.
According to the agency, there will be similar fora to dwell on the performance-based regulation and other regulatory concerns.
On January 15 the consumers groups, together with some civil-society organizations, staged a rally in front of the ERC Office. Devanadera invited them to her office to listen to their grievances. She then proposed that subsequent meetings be held to thresh out their issues and concerns.
“This is a positive development and this is just the first of the many forums to be held of this kind. Our doors are open and we expect that the consumer groups will go along with these forums with an open mind and understanding that each of us has a role to play in order to have checks and balances in our regulatory system,” the ERC official said.