A coalition of civil society groups on Monday called for use of renewable energy as another source of power.
At a news conference, Gerry Rances of the Power for People Coalition and Center for Energy, Ecology and Development cited a recent Pulse Asia survey showing majority of the Filipino people are dissatisfied with the price of electricity, particularly in the National Capital Region.
“The affordability of power and the energy source have become a major concern for us Filipinos,” he said.
“Our policy-makers must consider seriously that the costly and dirty energy are no longer tolerable,” he added.
Dr. Ana Tabunda of Pulse Asia said the survey showed 84 percent of the respondents in Metro Manila were not happy with the cost of power provided by the Manila Electric Co., the largest distributor of power.
“On a national scale, 66 percent of the respondents were disappointed,” the survey read.
The survey results showed a large majority of Filipino adults at 82 percent are in favor of “having a new option for electric service provider or electric utility.
In the metro, 88 percent of the adults backed the entry of new power service providers.
On the other hand, 89 percent are in favor of increasing the use of renewable energy.
Ian Rivera of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice said coal is not a cheap source of power.”
