MANILA, Philippines – There is still no proof yet of collusion among power producers which resulted in the sudden spike in the electricity rate of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), Senator Sergio Osmeña III said on Wednesday.
Osmeña, chairman of the Senate committee on energy, made this initial assessment after conducting thecommittee’s first hearing on the P4.15 per kilowaat hour rate increase that Meralco will impose beginning this December.
“Yeah, kasi wala namang cross-ownership e. Ikaw ang kikita, hindi ako (because there’s no cross-ownership). You will earn, not me) ,” he said when asked by a reporter after the hearing if he found no collusion among the power producers that simultaneously shut down their operations, prompting Meralco to buy more expensive electricity at the spot market.
Sen. Sergio Osmeña III. FILE PHOTO
“You will shut down your bus, so that I can run my jeepney? I don’t think it makes sense. Now, if you also own the jeepney, baka (then maybe there is collusion),” he said.
Asked again if he was ruling out altogether any collusion, Osmena said: “No. I’m saying that as far as I see now, there’s still no proof of collusion. It might turn up next week, it might turn up in the investigation of the Department of Energy but I, myself, do not see any collusion at this stage yet and I’ve been looking for it.”
Pressed by a reporter why he was convinced that there was no collusion, the committee chairman said: “Because I can’t find proof. If I didn’t see the money in your pocket, then I can say my friend you didn’t steal anything.”
Meanwhile, Osmeña rejected Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto’s proposal during the hearing to suspend the power rate increase while waiting for the result of the government’s investigation into the alleged collusion among power producers.
“I don’t like all these amateur proposal because we have to study [the experience of] other countries, nangyari na ito sa kanila (It happened to them). Let’s see how they work it out,” Osmeña said.
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