DESCRIBING the “awesome” economic powers of certain groups of families because of their monopoly of major areas of public utility services and infrastructure operations as “a clear and present danger to the next generation,” the opposition in the House of Representatives pushed on Wednesday for a legislation that will strengthen the protection of the people “against the dangers of concentrating too much economic power in just a handful of economic groups.”

In seeking the immediate approval of House Bill 2291, the House minority cited the handful of super-investor groups that are now dominating and dividing up among themselves all the major areas of public utility services and infrastructure operations, such as the provision of water, electrical power, transportation and media.

“These are services that are essential and highly regulated, and it is a danger to our economic democracy for them to be owned and or controlled by only a few super-groups. The present picture now clearly exposes the concentration of economic and corporate wealth and political influence in the hands of a few,” said Lakas-Kampi-CMD Rep. Maria Milagros Magsaysay of Zambales.

Authored by House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, the bill proposes to limit the presence of any one super-group to only one area of public utility service or infrastructure operation.

“A group that is invested in more than one area at present will have to divest from those other areas and focus only on one. Moreover, these groups will remain subject to existing laws against monopoly, unfair trade, and restriction of competition in their selected area of economic activity,” said Suarez in the same news conference.

“If we are not going to watch out and I’m more concerned on the next generation.  This country will be owned by five family names. At  the rate we are going, time will come that decisions of major importance will be dictated upon by those in the penthouse of major corporate owners this is a clear and present danger of the next generation,” he added.

Suarez admitted though that Congress have limited time to finish the measure even as he expressed doubts that the Anti-Trust will start the debate next week.

However, he said the minority will take a strong position to support and incorporate the provision of House Bill 2291 wherein the proposal is to limit ownership to just one.

“One public utility and one franchise  ...you cannot go more than [that], and that is being practiced [in a] country that has proven that they are against monopoly... the United States of America. You must have seen how the Americans divested monopoly on oil, monopoly on telecom, monopoly in banking lahat iyan kinatay ng US government...ayaw nila  na ang control ng isang industry ay nasa isang tao lang,” Suarez said.

Asked about the existing families or group that are already involved, Suarez said they have to divest of the bill is passed.

To address the present the circumstances in the present investment trend or pattern in public utilities and avoid the concentration of ownership to a few, the bill proposes to restrict the participation of individuals and corporation in public utilities.

“Among the proposals of this measure is to limit the right of participation in public utilities into one type of service only, and in case there are participation in two or more public utilities, it is also mandated by this proposal that the person, natural or juridical, shall divest its interest in the other public utilities until its participation is limited to one type of service. The same holds true in the control of ownership or power of control in the operation of public utilities,” said Suarez in his explanatory note.