Senate to evaluate performance of water, power agencies
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2019 03:08:41 +0000
THE Senate leadership on Saturday vowed to evaluate the performance of all concerned corporations amid the water and electricity shortage that affected large portions of Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd said the current situation gave more reasons for the Senate to debate and pass the proposed Public Service Act and review the franchises and performance of all concerned corporations.
Under Senate Bill 1754 or the proposed New Public Service Act of the Philippines, Sotto said the State recognizes that public utilities are necessary to the public and are natural monopolies that must be regulated.
“It is the policy of the state to ensure that the consuming public’s satisfaction and quality of life shall be the yardsticks for an effective regulation of public utility providers without compromising the reasonable rate of return of the latter,” the Senate chief said.
Under the measure, which is pending for second reading, the exclusive list of public utilities includes transmission of electricity, distribution of electricity; and water works and sewerage systems.
Section 23 of the proposed Act provides that “Any public service corporation that shall perform, commit, or do any act or thing forbidden or prohibited or shall neglect, fail or omit to do or perform any act or thing here into be done or performed, shall be punished by a fine of not exceeding P5 million, or by imprisonment of not lower than six years and not higher than 12 years, or both, in the discretion of the court.” AFP
AFP/CC
The post Senate to evaluate performance of water, power agencies appeared first on The Manila Times Online.