ILOILO City – Former president and now House speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo denied having written a letter to the House Legislative Franchises Committee pressing for a bicameral conference for the electricity distribution franchise application of MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) in this city.
Arroyo also disowned another purported letter endorsing an applicant to the Bureau of Customs.
“We would like to clarify that both letters are fake. (Neither) the Speaker nor her Office issued any correspondence over any electric franchise. The Speaker is focused on passing the 16 bills in the legislative agenda of President Duterte. She also does not endorse any applicant to any government position,” a statement from Arroyo’s office read.
The fake letters were being shared on social media. On Facebook, it got over 2,000 likes as of Dec. 9.
“We will closely coordinate with law enforcement agencies to determine the people behind these falsification efforts to put the name of Speaker Arroyo in a bad light,” the statement from Arroyo’s office further read.
Former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, on the other hand, warned the culprits of legal consequences.
“The law will catch up with you,” he posted on Facebook.
The fake letter regarding MORE Power’s franchise was dated Dec. 4, 2018 and addressed to Cong. Franz Alvarez, chairperson of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises.
It read: “You are hereby commanded to set a Bicameral Conference Committee hearing with your counterpart in the Senate c/o Sen. Grace Poe Llamanzares of the Committee on Public Services tomorrow, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. at Embassy Ballroom A, Hotel Jen, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. Said venue has been arranged by the staff of Don Enrique Razon Jr.
“PRRD has called me up this morning to finish hastily the Bicameral Conference with the counterparts in the Senate to discuss the disagreeing votes in HB 8302 re granting of franchise to MORE Electric and Power Corporation.
“Please meet me at the Speaker’s office before 3 p.m. for more instructions. Consider this with strict confidentiality.”
Reached for a comment on the fake letter, MORE Power spokesperson Jonathan Cabrera said, “Nalulungkot lang kami kasi they resorted to that cheap propaganda.”
He clarified that MORE Power was not accusing Panay Electric Company (PECO) of being behind the letter but said, “Mukhang sila ang beneficiary ng fake letter na ‘yun eh.”
PECO’s franchise expires on Jan. 19, 2019. It applied for a renewal but its franchise bill remains stuck in the House Legislative Franchises Committee. MORE Power’s, on the other hand, got the nod of the House and Senate.
On Dec. 5 the Bicameral Conference Committee in Congress approved the final version of MORE Power’s franchise bill. The following day it was ratified by the House of Representatives. The Senate was expected to do the same yesterday.
“After that it would be transmitted to Office of the President,” said Cabrera.
PECO had said it would exhausted all available legal remedies to contest MORE Power’s franchise that it claimed was being approved with “incident haste.”
“Kailangan naming magtulungan para sa kabutihan ng mga minamahal nating mga konsumidor,” said Cabrera.
To avoid power disruptions in Iloilo City while a new company takes over the power distribution system, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) proposed a two-year transition period from PECO to MORE Power.
According to ERC, PECO may be authorized to operate for two more years until such time MORE has established or acquired its own power distribution system or has completed its transition towards full operation.
PECO, however, is not giving up its franchise area without a fight.
“We will go to the Supreme Court. We will use all legal remedies available,” said its legal counsel Inocencio Ferrer.
MORE Power should prove it is qualified to distribute power in the city, he stressed.
“Mabato kami ‘ya…Wala sila assets. Kun mahatagan man sila franchise sa January, ano ubrahon nila kay indi kami ‘ya maghatag voluntarily sang amon assets,” said Ferrer. “Kuhaon lang daw nila ang assets sang PECO. Panay Electric Company will never sell its assets voluntarily. No, we will never sell our assets to a competitor.”/PN
