Alfredo Non
Lawmakers have slammed former Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Commissioner Alfredo Non for delays in the rate reset of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the Manila Electric Company (Meralco). Both of these entities have been the target of criticism for the regulator’s alleged oversight.
During a legislative inquiry by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, the former ERC commissioner was questioned for the lack of rate reset proceedings during his stint at the regulatory body, which resulted in lapsed periods for both the transmission grid operator and the largest distribution utility in the country.
Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez emphasized during the hearing that the ERC should be blamed for the lack of a rate reset and not the NGCP and Meralco since both are regulated entities bound by rules set by the regulator.
“The problem here is the ERC has failed to conduct a timely rate reset. We are barking at the wrong tree if we are faulting the regulated agencies—Meralco and NGCP,” he said.
Rodriguez lamented the criticism being hurled at Meralco, noting that despite the ERC’s “failure” to conduct a timely rate reset, the utility heeded the regulator’s order to refund around P48 billion to customers for the lapsed period.
Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc. (Philreca) party-list Rep. Presley De Jesus, meanwhile, questioned Non for the delay in rate reset proceedings, emphasizing that the problem started only during the former commissioner’s term.
“Seven years kayo, ni isang rate reset wala kayong nagawa?” Rep. De Jesus questioned Non.
For his part, Manila City 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. chastised Non for his excuse of an “error” by the ERC.
Non admitted during the inquiry that there was no rate reset for either NGCP or Meralco during his seven-year term at the ERC due to an “error” before he entered the collegial body.
Sta. Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez, who has been critical of Meralco, also admitted during the hearing that the lack of a rate reset stemmed from “regulatory failure,” saying, “Negligence talaga ng ERC.”