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PUERTO PRINCESA
CITY—Filipino
businessmen would rather that the government keep its
hands off the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), as they
know fully well how bad the state is in managing
business.
Officials of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (PCCI), attending the Southern Luzon Area
Business Conference at the Legend Palawan Hotel here,
said records and history would show how bad the
government has been in running an enterprise, with a
majority of state-run corporations not managed properly.
Samie
Lim, PCCI president, said this is why the current and
previous administrations have been continuously
transferring the ownership of government-owned and
-controlled firms to private hands.
He said
there is no reason for the government to reverse this
policy now.
“The
business sector is very much united in saying that the
government should keep its hands off business,” Lim
said.
Also,
Lim said Government Service Insurance System (GSIS)
president Winston Garcia should focus more on finding
ways to give more benefits to state workers.
“That
should be his priority,” he said.
Sergio
Ortiz-Luis, PCCI honorary chairman, said that while he
agrees that Meralco is better left in the hands of the
private sector, there are several issues that the
utility firm, as well as the National Power Corp. (Napocor),
should answer.
“It’s
really an issue of how we can bring down the cost of
electricity,” he said.
Earlier,
the PCCI issued a statement demanding a thorough
explanation on various issues like system loss and the
purchasing contract between Meralco and Napocor.
Ortiz-Luis said these are valid issues the two firms
should not avoid.
Lim also
chided both the side of the Lopezes and Garcia for
bringing out to the public their disenchantment with
each other.
“If they
will fight, they should keep it within the boardroom and
not discredit each other in public,” he said.
Lim said
the two parties should be careful not to destroy the
institution they are both fighting for.
With
what Garcia and the Lopezes are doing now, Lim said much
time and energy are being focused on the maneuvering to
wrest control of the management, instead of the more
important issue at hand—how to bring down the cost of
electricity. |
