Senator Raffy Tulfo said Wednesday, Aug. 3 that he would hold responsible the politician-capitalists of power-generating plants for frequent brownouts in the provinces.
Tulfo issued the statement after baring his plans to prioritize energy-related measures that would lessen the burden on Filipino consumers, especially those who are reeling from high electricity cost and rotational blackouts in far-flung areas.
He held his first committee briefing as Senate Energy Committee.chairman at the Recto Room on Tuesday.
As a broadcaster, Tulfo said he knows about constant brownouts in provinces, including Palawan, Bataan, and Davao.
“Maniningil din ako (I will hold them accountable). For one, kung kailangan ipatawag, ay ipapatawag natin ang mga politikong kapitalista, who, often than not, ay kasosyo o direktor ng electric cooperatives na dahilan ng frequent brownout sa mga probinsya (For one, if need be, I would call these politicians-capitalist who, more often than not, are shareholders or directors of electric cooperatives that are the cause of frequent browouts in the provinces),’’ he said.
“Regardless if they are my friends or not, maniningil ako (I will hold them accountable), because that’s my promise to the Filipinos who voted for me: That once I get elected as a Senator, I’ll make sure na lahat ng nilapit nila sa akin na problema ay madidinig sa Senado (Their complaints would be held at the Senate). I want to hold Senate hearings as soon as possible. Dapat aksyon agad (There must be immediate action),” he added.
To properly address other energy-related issues, Tulfo said he is ready to set meetings and hear the proposals of experts and stakeholders.
‘’We can invite stakeholders that can give us guidance and inputs, as well as tell us why several problems keep on happening and how we can solve them,” he stressed.
The neophyte lawmaker attended the briefing with his communications and legislative staff members Tuesday wherein they also covered topics such as the conduct of committee hearings, interpellation process, the list of bills passed, and unfinished bills in the 17th and 18th Congress, as well as the list of priority bills for the 19th Congress.
The priority bills under the energy panel this 19th Congress include, among others, Senate Bill (SB) No. 358 or the “Recoverable System Loss Act", SB No. 151 or the “Waste to Energy Act", and SB No. 156 or “Energy Advocate Act".