Government water, power bills to reach about P13B in 2015

Senator Ralph Recto. INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines–Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto is calling on the government anew to conserve water and electricity as utility expenses next year are projected to reach close to P13 billion.

Recto said the government is proposing P12.9 billion budget for utility expenses in 2015 from the P12.2 billion this year.

He also noted the steady rise in government expenses from P8.4 billion in 2011 to the projected P12.9 billion in 2015.

“If your utilities bill will go up by P4.5 billion in four years, then you have to plan some cost-cutting,” Recto said in a statement  on Thursday.

Going by the historical record, the senator said the amount set aside  for utilities, has always been breached.

“In 2012, for example, while national budget documents reported an expenditure of P9.2 billion for utilities, actual amount spent  according to the Commission on Audit was  P11.1 billion,”  he said.

Of this amount, Recto said,   P8.8 billion was for electricity, P2.2 billion  for water, and about P67 million  for cooking gas, the latter  mostly by hospitals and camps of the uniformed services.

“The ratio is  that for every P1 national government allocates for utilities, 80 centavos goes to power, and the rest mostly to water,” he pointed out.

In the 2015 budget, Recto noted that the proposed P12.9 billion allocation for utilities covered national government offices only.

He said   the actual bill  “is way higher if  utility expenses of  local governments and government corporation  are included.”

Recto said one way of cutting the  annual  P12.9 billion  power and water bill of the national government is for  public buildings to be installed with solar panels.

“When it comes to use of renewable energy, government must practice what it preaches,”  said the senator, who filed last week the proposed “Green Energy Government Offices Act” which prescribes  measures to reduce carbon footprint of government buildings.

Under his measure, the Department of Public  Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are mandated to spearhead the installation of not only green energy systems in public buildings but also the popularization of practical energy  conservation guides.

Recto said  placing more government buildings under solar power would create job opportunities.

“The   current $800 million  in direct investments in renewable energy in the country is expected to create 3,500 new jobs,” he pointed out.