Miriam invites foreign traders to Senate energy hearing
06/03/2008 | 03:55 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Foreign traders opposed to the amendments in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) have been invited Tuesday to the energy committee hearing in the Senate scheduled this Friday.
Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, the committee chairman, said she wants to know from the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) what amendments it does not want since Congress is changing only certain provisions.
"The only problem with the independent power producers is that they have a take-or-pay provision which is very onerous to the Filipino taxpayer. The foreigners can source their electricity from IPPs with take-or-pay provisions but it should not be a standard clause in our contracts of the government and the IPPs," she said in a statement.
Senators led by an angry Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile on Monday took turns in lambasting the JFC for its statement urging government not to amend the Epira.
Invited to the hearing were Rick Santos of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines; Richard Barclay of the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Hubert D'Aboville of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Toshifumi Inami of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Jae Jang of the Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; and Shameem Qurashi of the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc.
Also invited were Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, National Power Corp. President Cyril del Callar, Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. President Jose Ibazeta, Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Rodolfo Albano Jr, and Philippine Independent Power Producers Association President Ernesto Pantangco.
Meanwhile, a debt watchdog group joined the scoring of the JFC for its opposition to amending the Epira and renegotiating onerous contracts with IPPs to bring down electricity rates.
The Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) scored the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) for taking a "business as usual" approach to the power rate problem.
"Since foreign chambers of commerce are here to promote and protect their respective national/global interests, it is expected of them to defend their IPPs and their windfall of profits. The problem is: Who's going to protect ours?" the FDC said in a statement on its website.
It particularly scored JFC's business framework of "capitalism without risk" and its "shameless use of blackmail politics" to protect their corporate interests in the country.
JFC, in a letter to President Arroyo dated May 27, voiced opposition to amendments to the EPIRA and to renegotiating onerous debts.
Members of JFC include chambers of commerce of the United States, Australia-New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Europe and Korea.
FDC noted most of the independent power producers (IPPs) in the country are foreign-owned. IPP contracts consigned Filipinos to pay even for electricity that were not generated nor consumed.
"What the IPPs enjoy is capitalism without risk and this is the 'business as usual' framework that the JFC wants to maintain. Of course they'll want that and they don't care at whose expense," FDC said.
On the other hand, FDC said, "we Filipinos call it capitalism without risk, our fellow Indonesian activists call it organized crime."
Also, FDC argued that it was also these foreign chambers of commerce, in partnership with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, that elbowed the government into providing sovereign guarantees to IPPs.
"Filipinos should rather look at foreign IPPs not as their savior but the typical thieves who took advantage of the dark periods of the 80s and 90s to pull off their grandest robbery in band," FDC said. - GMANews.TV
Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, the committee chairman, said she wants to know from the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) what amendments it does not want since Congress is changing only certain provisions.
"The only problem with the independent power producers is that they have a take-or-pay provision which is very onerous to the Filipino taxpayer. The foreigners can source their electricity from IPPs with take-or-pay provisions but it should not be a standard clause in our contracts of the government and the IPPs," she said in a statement.
Senators led by an angry Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile on Monday took turns in lambasting the JFC for its statement urging government not to amend the Epira.
Invited to the hearing were Rick Santos of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines; Richard Barclay of the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Hubert D'Aboville of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Toshifumi Inami of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Jae Jang of the Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; and Shameem Qurashi of the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc.
Also invited were Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, National Power Corp. President Cyril del Callar, Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. President Jose Ibazeta, Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Rodolfo Albano Jr, and Philippine Independent Power Producers Association President Ernesto Pantangco.
Meanwhile, a debt watchdog group joined the scoring of the JFC for its opposition to amending the Epira and renegotiating onerous contracts with IPPs to bring down electricity rates.
The Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) scored the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) for taking a "business as usual" approach to the power rate problem.
"Since foreign chambers of commerce are here to promote and protect their respective national/global interests, it is expected of them to defend their IPPs and their windfall of profits. The problem is: Who's going to protect ours?" the FDC said in a statement on its website.
It particularly scored JFC's business framework of "capitalism without risk" and its "shameless use of blackmail politics" to protect their corporate interests in the country.
JFC, in a letter to President Arroyo dated May 27, voiced opposition to amendments to the EPIRA and to renegotiating onerous debts.
Members of JFC include chambers of commerce of the United States, Australia-New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Europe and Korea.
FDC noted most of the independent power producers (IPPs) in the country are foreign-owned. IPP contracts consigned Filipinos to pay even for electricity that were not generated nor consumed.
"What the IPPs enjoy is capitalism without risk and this is the 'business as usual' framework that the JFC wants to maintain. Of course they'll want that and they don't care at whose expense," FDC said.
On the other hand, FDC said, "we Filipinos call it capitalism without risk, our fellow Indonesian activists call it organized crime."
Also, FDC argued that it was also these foreign chambers of commerce, in partnership with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, that elbowed the government into providing sovereign guarantees to IPPs.
"Filipinos should rather look at foreign IPPs not as their savior but the typical thieves who took advantage of the dark periods of the 80s and 90s to pull off their grandest robbery in band," FDC said. - GMANews.TV
