APEC PARTY-LIST REP. SERGIO DAGOOC WARNS PUBLIC OF POWER SUPPLY CRISIS IN 32 ISLAND PROVINCES; CALLS ON IMMEDIATE ACTION FROM NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

APEC Party-List Representative and Assistant Minority

Leader

Sergio Dagooc of the Power Bloc speaks up on the plan of the National Power Corporation (NPC) to curtail the operating hours of the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) serving off-grid areas starting March 1 during a press conference last January 25.

According to Rep. Dagooc, the NPC issued a communication on January 4 to affected electric cooperatives under the SPUG areas informing them of their plan to decrease the operational hours of the power plants due to fuel supply shortage and delays in the payment of the Universal Cost for Missionary Electrification (UCME).

Based on NPC data, they would need around 3.8 Billion more to pay for the fuel supply, on top of the 6.8 Billion budget allocated in the FY 2023 mandated by the General Appropriations Act.

On Monday, 23 January, the Power Bloc already filed House Resolution No. 707 to intervene and prevent the power supply crisis and aid the NPC to augment their budget allocation for fuel for FY 2023. As of writing, the Committee has yet to tackle the Resolution.

“Ang pakay namin ay para lang maiparating sa mga kinauukulan natin na yung kuryente ngayon, hindi na po luxury ‘yan, essential na po ‘yan. Kawawa naman po ‘yung mga maaapektuhan, kaya kailangan pong trabahuin ng ating pamahalaan at ng mga concerned government agencies na masuplayan po ang pangangailangan sa kuryente,” Rep. Dagooc said.

Occidental Mindoro Representative Leody Tarriela, who also attended the press conference, made a plea on behalf of his constituents who are already suffering from the curtailed hours since last year.

“Ang sabi nga nila doon sa probinsya, maski mahal ang kuryente, basta mayroon, amenable sila. Because the most expensive electricity is no electricity at all,” Rep. Tarriela said.

Rep. Dagooc stressed that the proposed plan would potentially affect 22.5 million Filipino consumers from the different island provinces, 14 in Luzon, 10 in Visayas, and 8 in Mindanao.

Lawmaker Urges Erc To Revisit Oats Rules

Energy Committee In Favor Of Power Bloc Bills Honoring Lineworkers

The House Committee on Energy approved on January 31 the measures filed by the Power Bloc institutionalizing the recognition of energy sector lineworkers.

As the principal author, Assistant Minority Leader and APEC Party-List Representative Sergio Dagooc delivered the sponsorship speeches for the proposed bills on Linemen Appreciation Day, Mandatory Insurance Coverage and Benefits for All Lineworkers, and the creation of the Lineman Training Academy of the Philippines.

House Bill 2157 seeks to declare the First Monday of August Every Year as Linemen Appreciation Day in honor of the contribution of lineworkers to the economy, drawing inspiration from AML Dagooc’s previous stint as a lineman at the early stage of his career.

House Bill 2158, on the other hand, entitles lineworkers, through their employers, life and accident insurance benefits, retirement benefits, mortuary assistance, disability benefits, and reimbursement of actual medical expenses in certain cases.

Apec

Party-List Representative Sergio Dagooc delivered a privilege speech on January 23 pushing for the review of the Open Access Transmission Service (OATS) Rules in reference to the rising cost of transmission charge paid to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s transmission service provider.

Rep. Dagooc explained that under the OATS Rules, the computation of the transmission charge paid to the NGCP is based on the peak demand in a month.

“Ayon sa Open Access Transmission Service o OATS Rules, naka-base ang pagcompute ng transmission charge sa peak demand o pinakamataas na electricity demand sa loob ng isang buwan, kahit na nagkaroon ng maraming power interruptions o pagkaputol ng daloy ng kuryente sa NGCP lines sa bawat buwanang pagsingil o billing period,” the solon said.

NGCP is not even penalized for the frequent interruptions; and the electricity consumers are forced to pay for the inadequate services of NGCP at prices pegged on the peak demand; Kahit maraming kakulangan sa serbisyo, buo o mas tumataas pa ang singil ng NGCP sa ating mga electric bill.”

Rep. Dagooc cited the situation in the Mindanao area where people face regular power interruptions.

Ang pag-imbestiga at pagtuwid sa maling nakikita natin sa ating sektor, maging sa pribado man, ay nararapat ayusin at aksyunan para sa ikabubuti ng bawat isang konsumante ng kuryente na tapat na nagbabayad ng kanilang buwanang bayarin sa kuryente.

“Frequent interruptions in the transmission service still persist, specifically, in the areas of Northern Mindanao to Zamboanga Peninsula, wherein line congestion exists. Napakahaba na po ng linya na yan, ang planta ay nasa Northern Mindanao, at ang load ay nasa Zamboanga. Napakalayo kaya palaging may underfrequency at kumukurap-kurap na kuryente,” he explained.

Meanwhile, House Bill 2159 aims to professionalize the lineworkers industry by producing qualified lineworkers to construct, maintain, and operate the country’s power grid under the Lineman Training Academy. It will provide training courses for aspiring lineworkers at no cost to address the increasing shortage of lineworkers.

After a lengthy deliberation, the Committee members moved to create a Technical Working Group to harmonize the provisions of the Lineman Training Academy measure with AML Dagooc as the Chairperson. Previously approved during the 18th Congress on Third and Final Reading, both House Bill 2157 and House Bill 2158 were unanimously approved by the Committee.

AML Dagooc is a member of the Power Bloc, alongside Deputy Minority Leader and PHILRECA Party-List Representative Presley De Jesus, championing the interest of the rural electrification sector in Congress.

REP. SERGIO DAGOOC BARES IMPENDING POWER SUPPLY CRISIS TO KATROPA SA KAMARA INTERVIEW

Rep. Dagooc then mentions the transmission service issues such as line congestion and frequent power interruptions faced by the NGCP, despite their P51.471 billion Maximum Allowable Revenue approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). According to the solon, the public gets the short end of the stick with NGCP’s “insufficient, unreliable, (and) poor” performance resulting in a higher cost of generation, which directly affects the transmission charge, as well.

“What’s worse, Mr. Speaker, is the grim reality that

In culmination, the solon calls on the ERC to review and revisit the OATS Rules, and ensure that, the services we render to the people are of the best quality; the rates duly imposed scrutinized to the highest standard, and fair for all parties involved, because according to him, “the Filipinos deserve nothing less”.

“Ang pag-imbestiga at pagtuwid sa maling nakikita natin sa ating sektor, maging sa pribado man, ay nararapat ayusin at aksyunan para sa ikabubuti ng bawat isang konsumante ng kuryente na tapat na nagbabayad ng kanilang buwanang bayarin sa kuryente,” the solon ended.

Apec

Party-List Representative Sergio Dagooc graced the Katropa sa Kamara interview on January 28 to call the attention of the national government and apprise the public on the impending power supply shortage to 32 island provinces scheduled on March 1.

In his opening statement, Rep. Dagooc reiterated the plea he earlier made during a press conference at the House of Representatives on the plight of the island provinces served by the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) which is responsible for providing power generation and its associated power delivery systems in offgrid areas or those not connected to the transmission system.

The solon cited Sec. 70 of RA 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), stating that the National Power Corporation shall perform the missionary electrification in areas deemed as “unviable” and “nonprofitable” through the SPUG, with the budget coming from the

General Appropriations Act and through the collection of the Universal Charge UCME on Missionary Electrification (UCME) set by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

However, with the varying factors behind the surge in fuel prices, Rep. Dagooc states that the projected budget set by NPC for fuel has been insufficient, leaving NPC no option but to reduce operating hours, from 24 hours to 16 hours, 16 hours to 12 hours, and 12 hours to 8 hours.

Rep. Dagooc drew particular attention to the ‘economic implication’ of the crisis as this would direly affect an estimated 22.5 million population with the proposed cuts in power supply, which could result in unemployment and spur crime rates brought by unstable livelihoods.

Rep. Dagooc calls on the augmentation of NPC’s budget at the soonest possible time to avert the crisis.

Katropa sa Kamara is a radio program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Radio hosted by Terence Mordeno Grana.