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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider House energy panel chief Velasco backs Meralco franchise renewal bid 

House energy panel chief Velasco backs Meralco franchise renewal bid 

Published May 15, 2024 07:37 am

At A Glance

  • House Committee on Energy Chairman Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Velasco has echoed the call to grant an early extension to the congressional franchise of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco). 

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Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, Meralco logo (Facebook)


House Committee on Energy Chairman Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Velasco has echoed the call to grant an early extension to the congressional franchise of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

Velasco, a former House Speaker, did so by filing House Bill (HB) No. 10317. Like the earlier filed HB No.9793, the Velasco measure seeks a 25-year extension to the existing franchise of the power distribution giant.

“Meralco has been providing reliable and world-class electric service at fair and reasonable prices to its customers,” Velasco said in the explanatory note of his bill.

“The renewal of this franchise is urged to ensure the continuous and uninterrupted supply and distribution of quality and reliable electric service to the customers within the franchise area of Meralco,” he added.

Meralco's current franchise, as spelled out in Republic Act (RA) No.9209, won't expire until 2028. Its coverage are includes cities and municipalities in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and select areas in Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, and Pampanga.

As far as Velasco is concerned, Meralco has met all the qualifications for a legislative franchise renewal and has consistently observed the rules and regulations governing its operations,

“Among all the distribution utilities and power cooperatives here in the country, Meralco provides the most reliable electricity service—one that I dare say has been instrumental in driving the economic growth of our country,” he said.

In terms of service quality and reliability, he said Meralco far exceeds the service offered by other power utilities and cooperatives in the country, citing problems hounding electricity service in areas serviced by power cooperatives.

ALSO READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/14/the-bad-outweighs-the-good-fernandez-makes-case-vs-meralco-franchise-renewal



“The fact that there are calls from communities serviced by electric cooperatives to transfer to Meralco further proves that the company offers much-needed reliable electricity service,” Velasco further said.

During the hearing Monday, May 13 of the Committee on Legislative Franchises, no less than the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) attested that Meralco has been consistently compliant with rules and regulations governing its franchise.

Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda, the author of HB No.9793, earlier said: "The case for renewing Meralco’s franchise is plain and simple: it has complied with the conditions of the franchise law and it is good for the economy and the consumer."

He added that if other electricity distributors in the country performed like Meralco, the economy would create an additional P201 billion in gross value added annually due to avoided outages.

Related Tags

Manila Electric Company lord allan velasco joey salceda
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