EPSA “Revolt”

 

Last April, many local politicians in Occidental Mindoro and the populace in general, hailed the move of National Electrification Administration chief Antonio Mariano Almeda consulting with the Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corporation (OMCPC), the province’s sole power distributor, which consequently ended the 20-hour rotational brownout in the province.

Everybody praised Almeda and even thanked the OMCPC owner Manuel Luis Banson for agreeing to run their power plants. A local legislative council even issued a resolution along this line. We are generous enough to thank the same entity that mainly caused the crisis.

We proudly and happily declared then: “Hindi baleng mahal (ang kuryente), basta walang brownout.” Those who were with him on that occasion praised the administrator to the high heavens.

Clouded with our political biases, we succumbed to a propaganda blitz and we excessively believed those. We fed their egos and bred the messianic complex deep inside their very bones. Except for one, our representatives to the OMECO Board threw us into this monetary mess.

We are like oysters stuck to a rotting pole in a murky river as we believe that “Hindi baleng mahal (ang kuryente), basta walang brownout.” But such a frame of mind is not acceptable to me as an electric consumer, who counts to nearly 87,000 province-wide, I cannot afford to pay unjust power rates. Not only because of the prevailing prices of basic commodities and a very high standard of living but because such a situation is full of greed. This will have a domino effect on our local economy. Believe me. All of the small and middle-income families will be affected by this.

On July 13, 2023, Almeda issued a directive to OMECO BOD to withdraw its Joint Application with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for the approval of the SAMARICA Power Supply Agreement (PSA) and instead enter into a negotiated Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA). The order is an insult to me as OMECO MCO.

The EPSA becomes a silver platter bestowing undeserved financial advantage to OMCPC through the full instant payment of the unreasonably ridiculous True Cost Generation Rate (TCGR) without going into regulatory processes approved both by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the National Power Commission (NPC).

Under EPSA, the electricity coming from OMCPC's SAMARICA plant will be paid by MCOs at its total cost or TCGR, since EPSA is not covered by government subsidies. This will reach P16.67 to P20.70 per kilowatt hour (kWh) based on the P53.57 cost of crude oil. The EPSA in SAMARICA is an additional nail on the consumer’s cross as it gives a great advantage to OMCPC as I have said.

Still, we are fooling ourselves by adhering to this mindset: “Hindi baleng mahal (ang kuryente), basta walang brownout,” just to defend those people on top of the pedestal sponsoring or supporting and mum on the EPSA and giving the power provider a VIP treatment.

Even if the order is instantaneously deprived, we are denied the UCME Subsidy that we are entitled by law to enjoy, just to please and defend your political patron you keep on believing this foolish phrase you erroneously planted in your predisposed mind: “Hindi baleng mahal (ang kuryente), basta walang brownout.” Yes, the EPSA trampled our rights to enjoy our UCME Subsidy by requiring us to pay the OMCPC the full cost for the power supplied from the 20mw bunker-fired power plant per 12 January 2022 EPSA for the municipalities of San Jose, Magsaysay, Rizal, and Calintaan. This EPSA might also be proposed in other service areas of EC and that would spell further disaster.

Even those who are declaring then that, “Hindi baleng mahal (ang kuryente), basta walang brownout,” are now ranting over social media. They result in sarcasm and other gestures of anger. Only now they separate their principles from being a MCO and a political partisan. Having such a point or mindset, we all become part of the debacle we are in. Too late the hero.

All we must do is actively appeal to the national government to continue to include us and other off-grid island provinces in getting the subsidy even if we enter any emergency supply deal. Moreover, we also must assert the termination of the 24-MW SAMARICA PSA and immediately go on with the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) adjusted for the recent power demand. For the concerned power regulators to investigate or look into the alleged violations our sole power provider for the reportedly non-delivery of contracted capacities, among other issues.

Power and electricity must be available and affordable. Everything and anything in the middle is revolting.

We need a sustained supply of electricity, the same way we need it at affordable and reasonable prices.

One should not be sacrificed for the other.

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(Photo: OMECO IEC)

 

 

A Filipina Peacebuilder

  

A friend, Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer or Iye, is the only female of the four 2023 Ramon Magsaysay awardees for her peace-building contributions. This year marks the 65^th anniversary of the so-called Nobel Prize of Asia.

Iye, whom I first met in 2005, is a Political Science Professor at the University of the Philippines (UP), where she has also served as the Director of the UP Third World Studies Centre, and Convener of the Program on Peace, Democratization, and Human Rights under the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies.

In 2015, she was the Chief Negotiator of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) in talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the Mindanao peace process.

Prof. Iye, helped us, while I was still a program coordinator for the Social Action Center of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose, coordinating the documentation and facilitation of a series of dialogues between the Mangyan leaders and Army Officers operating at that time here in Occidental Mindoro. We escorted Ms. Ferrer to visit the far-flung IC/ICCs and military camps for interviews to develop a Peace Manifesto between the Mangyan leaders, elders, and the Philippine Army Officers. It was in her capacity as the main convenor of the Sulong Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law or Sulong CARHRIHL Network.

Finally, in 2005, a Covenant Between the 203^rd Brigade of the Philippine Army and the Pantribung Samahan sa Kanlurang Mindoro was signed by 203^rd Brigade Commander Col. Fernando Mesa and PASAKAMI Chairman Juanito Lumawig. It was held at the Chancery Building of the St. Joseph Seminary in San Jose.

The Covenant was an offshoot of a bloody incident we call the Talayob Massacre where the entire Mangyan family was fired upon by army soldiers from the 16th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines last July 21, 2003, in So. Talayob, Brgy. Nicolas, Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro. The victims who died from the indiscriminate firing were Roger Blanco who expired on the way to the hospital, his wife Oliva, who was then eight months pregnant, and their two sons John Kevin, 3, and Dexter, 2.

This tragic incident opened the fortunate partnership between PASAKAMI/AVSJ and the Sulong CARHRIHL Partner organizations in Manila where Mangyan leaders are always invited to various conferences on peace-building and other human rights-related activities and events in the national capital.

The Sulong CARHRIHL Network was instrumental in facilitating the drafting of the National Action Plan on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security that was subsequently adopted by the Philippine Government in 2010.

To my knowledge, even now, PASAKAMI is still a member of the network (now Sulong PEACE), where our IPs contribute to peace-building and constantly share their indigenous ways of peace-making on the center stage, so to speak.

I believe that Prof. Iye has an instinctual understanding that injustice is not an ally to peacebuilders.

This is what I learned from her: Peacebuilders are everywhere, and anyone can be one. Regardless of our differences. Regardless of gender.

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(Photo: Philippine Daily Inquirer)