FOUR legislators from Camarines Sur have a solution to possibly end the recurring power outages and at the same time guarantee more affordable electricity rates for consumers in Iriga City and the six southern municipalities comprising the province’s Rinconada or fifth legislative district.

For these lawmakers, the answer to the perennial woes of Rinconada’s electricity consumers is to give them the power of choice, so they could decide on whether to stick with electricity distribution utility (DU) Camarines Sur Electric Cooperative Inc. (Casureco III) or switch to a new, more dependable provider that can offer better services at relatively cheaper cost.

In House Bill (HB) 1084, these Camarines Sur legislators are seeking approval of a legislative franchise for the Bicol Light and Power Corp. to establish, operate and maintain a power distribution system in the Rinconada or fifth congressional district—comprising Iriga City and the towns of Baao, Balatan, Bato Buhi, Bula and Nabua.

HB 1084’s authors are National Unity Party (NUP) President LRay Villafuerte, Miguel Luis Villafuerte, who represents the province’s Rinconada district, and Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata; and Bicol Saro Rep. Nicolas Enciso VIII.

As part of its responsibility to the public under the measure, Bicol Light and Power Corp., if and when it gets the approval of the Congress, is mandated under HB 1084 “to supply its market in the urban and rural portions of its franchise area in the least costly manner … The grantee shall charge reasonable and just power rates for its services to all types of consumers within its franchise area.”

“The grantee shall not engage in any activity that will constitute an abuse of market power such as unfair trade practices, monopolistic schemes, an any other competitiveness of businesses and industries,” states HB 1084.

The four Camarines Sur solons said in their bill that, “No longer should power outages be a bane to society. As such, it is imperative that the service we provide to the people meet such demands and present them with choices accorded to the consumers’ own terms.”

“This bill seeks to provide such a dependable electric power distribution system to the people of the Province of CamSur by granting the franchise to operate the Bicol Light and Power Corp. in the towns of Baao, Balatan, Bato, Buhi, Bula and Nabua, and the city of Iriga,” they said.

“It seeks to address,” they added, “the issue of price control through realizing a regime of free and fair competition in the energy sector. Finally, it seeks to require standards that the grantee must attain in order to secure an effective partnership between the Government and the grantee, as well as maintain a high benchmark of the promised provided facility.”

HB 1084 stresses that the exercise of the rights granted to the would-be franchisee “shall not result to stranded assets and stranded contract costs of existing and operating distribution utilities or to unreasonable increases in costs to consumers.”

It further requires the grantee to implement lifeline rate to marginalized end users as mandated under Republic Act (RA) No. 9136 or the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) of 2001.”

In a post on his Facebook page announcing the filing of HB 1084, LRay Villafuerte said: “Sige taas ng kuryente, palpak pa palagi blackouts. Pag meron competition sa Casureco, sigurado bababa ang presyo ng kuryente. Pag meron competition at choice, sigurado gaganda ang serbisyo.”

The NUP president and Rep. Miguel Luis Villafuerte had both served as three-term governors before representing the second and fifth districts of Camarines Sur, respectively, in the House of Representatives.

The four congressmen said in HB 1084 that the enactment of RA 9136 or the Epira law allowed the government “to deliver on its promise of affordable basic services to its people and protect the public interest. With R.A. 9136 enacted, open access was permitted leading to retail competition and a thrust for developments, allowing key players in the industry the opportunity to provide a level of service worthy of the demands that the State necessitates.”

“As a step onwards a more transparent and fair energy sector, the law afforded both the public and private sector a chance in the playing field; as a step further in fulfilling the mandate of ensuring sustainable supply of electricity for the people, the presence of fresh reliable electricity facilities is essential,” they added.

They said in the bill that it shall be the duty of the grantee, its successors or assignees, whenever required to do so by the Energy Regulatory (ERC) or its legal successor, or the Department of Energy (DOE) or its legal successor, or the National Electrification Administration (NEA) or its legal successor, or any other authorized government agency, to modify, improve, and change such facilities or systems in such a manner and to such extent as the progress in science and improvements in the electric power service industry may render reasonable and proper.”