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PANGLAO,
Bohol —Instead of an outright reduction in the cost of
electricity, Malacañang announced Tuesday that it has
formed a study group to check the facts and other
allegations about alleged excessive collections by the
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) among its customers.
“A study
group is good because it gives everyone a chance to
review and check the facts. I’m sure this will bring
good results,” Presidential Management Staff Cerge
Remonde told reporters who asked for a briefing on the
Meralco presentation to the Cabinet, which held its
weekly meeting here.
Asked
what exactly was resolved during the meeting between the
President and Meralco president Jesus Francisco and
board director Christian Monsod, Remonde said: “We do
not expect to resolve such complex issue during [one]
meeting, but I think this is a significant step forward
that it was brought to the highest policy making body of
the land, which is the Cabinet, and the President has
created a study committee, which is basically the Neda
Cabinet group.”
The
committee will sift through the facts, the charges and
the countercharges, and make recommendations.
Last
week, Meralco executives appeared at a Senate
investigation where they were accused of passing on such
matters as “systems loss” or pilfered electricity to its
consumers.
One
Meralco executive also admitted (which was later denied)
that during the investigation other expenditures that
the electric company had incurred, such as the overhead
of their operations, are also included in the “systems
loss” which the electric provider claimed is a common
practice by other companies.
The
government-Meralco feud started when Winston Garcia,
president of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS),
raised the possibility that the government would buy out
the Lopezes in Meralco, after accusing that group of
covering up for inefficiencies and corruption.
To ease
the heated debates, it was decided that the President
would meet with Meralco chairman and CEO Oscar Lopez.
The venue of the meeting was to be in Panglao, Bohol, to
coincide with a Cabinet meeting that would take place
shortly after the President inaugurated the
Bohol-Panglao International Airport.
Despite
the high-powered announcement, Lopez did not show up in
Panglao and instead three officials, including Francisco
and Monsod, arrived.
After
the meeting, Francisco said: “We presented (Meralco’s
side), we tried to clarify some of the points but we had
limited time because they (Cabinet) had to take up
another subject.”
Since
reporters were not allowed to witness the meeting,
Francisco was asked how the President reacted to their
presentation, to which Francisco replied: “I think she
was okay, she was stern, but she was very polite to us.”
Asked
whether the President was convinced, Francisco said: “I
think she wants to have a deeper explanation of so many
things so we’re looking for a deeper study and
presentation of material…we had little time to discuss
many things.”
Monsod
said “the President already said the cost of Napocor
power would be reduced to four pesos and 11 centavos.”
Asked to
describe the atmosphere during the deliberations and the
Powerpoint presentation by Meralco, Monsod said:’ “We
were there to present ideas to reduce electricity, we
did not go there to debate (with) Mr. Garcia.”
According to Monsod, the Cabinet and the Meralco
executives discussed some issues that really needed to
be corrected because “Garcia’s facts are wrong.”
After
the President announced the formation of a group to look
into the facts surrounding Meralco’s alleged
overcharging and after they had presented their side,
Monsod said they favored the President’s move and added
that they have volunteered to open their books as far
back as 2003. |
