An advocacy group expressed concern over the likelihood of “property sequestration” in the power distribution controversy in Iloilo City.
The Anti-Corruption Movement Inc., led by founding chairman Leon Peralta, was referring to the events at the House of Representatives in connection with the power franchise issue in Iloilo.
The group criticized the House committee on legislative franchises committee led by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez for allegedly hastily approving More Mineral Corp's franchise filed only in August this year.
“We are airing this sentiment not on the basis of unfounded charges or as a figment of crazy imagination, but on the grounds of indisputable facts surrounding this controversy, or scandal as you please,” the ATM said.
It said that while the House committee approved the application of the new player, it withheld any action on the application for franchise renewal filed by the existing power distributor Panay Electric Co. Inc. in July last year.
Peco has been supplying power to Iloilo City and a number of adjacent towns in Panay Island for 95 years. Peralta said MMC, on the other hand, was basically a mining company that had to start from scratch as a power distribution utility.
He said Peco was a “full-fledged electric distributor operating and maintaining a P2-billion infrastructure including transmission lines, transformer towers, a fleet of service vehicles, sufficient manpower, etc.”
“But more important, it has the technical know-how in discharging its duties and responsibilities as a public utility,” Peralta said.