The Commission on Audit (COA) has granted the petition for money claim filed by Southern Philippines Power Corporation (SPPC) against the National Power Corporation (NPC) and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) for the payment of contractual obligations under the Energy Conversion Agreement (ECA) amounting to $5,774,269.75 and P68,644,041.22 from 2005 to 2010..
The petition arose from the Build-Own-Operate (BOO) scheme entered into by the consortium of Alsons Power Holding Corporation and Tomen Corporation with the NPC for the 50MW Bunker C Fired Diesel Power Plant located in General Santos City on Oct. 26, 1996.
On Jan. 31, 1997, SPPC assumed the rights and obligations under ECA through an accession agreement undertaking.
The SPPC then filed before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) a petition for dispute resolution against NPC on Jan. 6, 2009 for the resolution of several issues -- whether the ECA allows SPPC to declare a capacity nomination of 110 percent of the power plant's stipulated nominal capacity of 50MW, or whether the NPC is liable to SPPC for unpaid fees arising from the parties' contracted capacity under the ECA.
On April 1, 2013, the ERC issued a decision granting SPPC's petition and adjudged NPC liable for the contracted capacity of 55MW from 2005 to 2010 under the ECA. The NPC elevated the case to the Court of Appeals (CA) and the Supreme Court (SC), but the petitions for review in both courts were denied.
The ERC decision, which was affirmed by the SC, reconciled the $5,774,269.75 representing the US dollar fee payment portion and the P68,644,041.22, representing the Philippine peso fee payment portion.
The SPPC filed the petition for review before the COA seeking to authorize NPC and PSALM, jointly and severally, to pay the principal fees due. Since PSALM mandatorily assumed all of NPC's liabilities under Republic Act No. 9136, the SPPC said that the COA can direct them to settle the undisputed principal fees.
For its part, the COA agreed with the SPPC. It said: "This Commission grants this petition, praying to hold PSALM solidarily liable with NPC for the payment of the money claim."