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“OUR
plate is full.”
Contrary
to reports that it has expressed interest over some
shareholdings in the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the
Aboitizes denied Wednesday that they are interested to
gain a foothold in the country’s largest power
distributor.
“We
haven’t even looked at it [Meralco],” Erramon Aboitiz,
chairman of Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV), told
reporters in an interview.
He added
that they are quite busy with their own investment
program right now. “So, I guess we’ll focus on that
first,” said Aboitiz.
He said
they actually don’t know exactly what’s happening, and
that no one has approached them yet. “We don’t know what
the deal is. Though, Meralco should be an attractive
investment. But like what I’ve said, we have not looked
at it,” he added.
At its
annual stockholders’ meeting, Jon Ramon Aboitiz, AEV
president and chief executive, also categorically denied
reports that they are interested in Meralco.
Aboitiz
said they (Lopez family and Government Service Insurance
System president Winston Garcia) are family friends.
“We have
our own business plan and we have a lot in our plate,”
Aboitiz said.
Meanwhile, Elpi O. Cuna, Meralco vice president for
corporate communication, in a statement said the
statement of Winston Garcia that the Lopezes are
engaging in dirty tricks is not only irresponsible but
downright false.
“It was,
and will never be, the policy of Meralco management to
engage in dirty tricks. I don’t know if that holds true
with Garcia. In fact, if observers will note that we
never engaged Garcia in a word war ever since he started
peddling his unsubstantiated claims. But it seems he has
made it his resolve to continue his tirades that are
devoid of facts. I would like to categorically state
that Meralco’s management never solicited proxies after
the deadline lapsed on Saturday. Garcia’s claim is
false, untrue and devoid of any factual basis,”
Meralco’s spokesman said.
According to Cuna, Garcia and lawyer Estrella Elamparo
have “made it a habit to spew false information and
unsubstantiated claims.” He also reiterated that no
effort was spent on the part of the Meralco management
to solicit proxies. “We have always upheld what is legal
and right.”
Cuna
also pointed out that Garcia’s claim during the Cabinet
meeting in Panglao, Bohol, Tuesday that the officials of
Meralco are paying a flat rate on their electricity
bills was outright falsehood. “I pay what all customers
exactly pay. Translated on a per kilowatt-hour [kWh]
basis, I pay about P10/kWh while a marginalized consumer
pays only about P4 per kWh because of the lifeline
rates. This benefits almost half of the entire
residential customers or close to 2 million residential
customers. Garcia and Elamparo are welcome to scrutinize
and look at my electric bill if they want,” Cuna said. |
