UPDATE: Duterte okays franchise for Legarda son’s power firm
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Thu, 01 Aug 2019 11:26:06 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill granting legislative franchise to Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp. (SPSBC), which is owned by a son of former senator Loren Legarda.
In a text message, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office chief Adelino Sitoy said that Duterte signed on Wednesday Republic Act 11357 or “An Act granting Solar Para Sa Bayan Corporation a franchise, etc.”
Leandro Leviste is Legarda’s son with ex-husband Jose Antonio “Tony” Leviste, who was also former Batangas governor.
The new law allows the Leviste firm to “construct, install, establish, operate, and maintain” distributed energy resources and microgrid systems for 25 years.
It also authorizes the company to supply remote, unviable, unserved, or underserved areas in Aurora, Batangas, Bohol, Cagayan, Camiguin, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Isabela, Masbate, Misamis Occidental, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, and Tawi-Tawi.
But the new law also acknowledges that SPSBC is not entitled to “any government subsidy” in setting rates, while empowering the Energy Regulatory Commission to set its rates.
Several business groups had asked Duterte to review the Solar Para sa Bayan bill, saying it will “put at a disadvantage other renewable energy companies” in the country.
Solar Para Sa Bayan promotes itself as a social enterprise looking to provide cheap electricity to Filipino households, particularly in areas which remain without access to power, through renewable energy sources.
The solar firm aims to help achieve the government’s goal of 100 percent electrification, as well as affordable, reliable electricity for all Filipinos by 2022.
The SPSB, in a statement late Thursday, thanked the President “for giving new choices for electricity to Filipinos in unserved and underserved areas.”
“This is not for us but the Filipino people, and we owe it to the consumers who fought for this to deliver the service they have long deserved,” the SPSB said.
At the same time, the firm wished to extend “an olive branch” to those who have opposed House Bill 8179 and called on them “to support the DOE’s goal of achieving 100 percent electrification and ending energy poverty in the Philippines by 2022.”I
“It is time for us to join forces and work together for the common good,” it added.
Before President Duterte signed the bill into law, SPSB noted that HB 8179 has garnered significant likes and comments on social media site Facebook.
“Facebook posts supporting House Bill 8179 reached over 20 million Filipinos and generated over 2 million likes, comments, and shares. This is consistent with a Pulse Asia survey indicating that 82 percent of Filipinos favor new options for electric service,” the firm said.
Citing data from the Energy department, 12 million Filipinos have access to limited electricity and millions more lack round-the-clock electricity.
Since 2017, SPSB has brought 24/7 power to 12 towns for the first time, benefiting over 200,000 Filipinos, in regions including Mimaropa, Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Central Visayas, and Davao, without receiving any subsidy from the government.
Mimaropa is Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan. CATHERINE S. VALENTE, JORDEENE B. LAGARE