Anger over power rate hike not directed at Aquino–Palace

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

As consumers seethe over the impending power rate increase, Malacañang acknowledges such anger but doubts it’s directed at President Aquino.

The looming power rate increases and proposed increase of mass transport fares concern the President, but stopgap measures are still being drawn up, Undersecretary Abigail Valte said on Friday.

“Obviously, it’s a point of concern that these things are happening at a particular subset of time,” the deputy presidential spokesperson said when asked if the executive department was alarmed at the public anger.

Valte, however, disagreed with observations that the growing furor over the looming increase in electricity rates and its ripple effect on commodities was directed at the President.

“Perhaps, public anger has to do with the power hikes. We’ve seen instructions issued by the President to cushion its impact. I’m not quite ready to agree with you there that anger is directed to the President,” she said in reply to a question.

Militant groups mounted rallies outside offices of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to protest the rate increase.

Domino effect

Consumers foresee that the looming P4.15/kWh increase in power generation and related charges would also lead to increases in the prices of transportation as well as commodities.

Valte said the President has issued instructions to Cabinet secretaries to draw up ways to cushion the impact of power rate increases. She specifically spoke of Mr. Aquino’s instructions to tap the government’s share in the P137-billion remaining Malampaya Fund as a subsidy for consumers.

Subsidy discussed

But she admitted that this was still the subject of “ongoing discussions” among Cabinet officials, and bristled at criticisms that these were taking a long time.

“I would just mention that haste makes waste. These are very important issues that need to be looked at with a thoroughness that the gravity of the issue dictates. So we understand that there is also a need to come up with something, at least to present to the consumers at this point. However, these discussions are fairly new, fairly young, and rest assured that this is—the Cabinet secretaries are giving it the appropriate attention as directed by the President,” she said.

She said she would go back to the officials to ask them when they intend to disclose “something more concrete.” With a report by Riza T. Olchondra