|
By Sammy Martin, Reporter
WITH no more legal impediments, an
administration lawmaker on Tuesday expressed optimism that Congress
can soon grant the legislative franchise to the winning bidder of
the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo).
In Tuesday’s hearing of the House Committee on
Legislative Franchise, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte said that
with the dismissal of the complaint filed by the disqualified
TransCo bidder before the Makati Regional Trial Court, “it’s now
all-systems-go for Congress to act on the application of the NGCP
[National Grid Corporation of the Philippines] for a legislative
franchise.”
Villafuerte is one of the principal authors of
House Bill 3729, which seeks to grant the Monte Oro-led consortium,
or the NGCP, “the franchise to construct, install, finance,
manage, improve, expand, operate, maintain, rehabilitate, repair and
refurbish the nationwide transmission system and the grid in the
country.”
“The complain filed by La Costa which was
disqualified by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management
[PSALM] on the TransCo bidding has been a legal obstacle for
NGCP’s application for legislative franchise,” said Villafuerte.
Before the hearing adjourned, Committee Chairman
Rep. Ferjenel Biron ordered the creation of a technical working
group to study in detail the various aspects of HB 3729, and to
report its recommendation to the committee for further deliberation.
On December 12 last year, the winning bidder,
comprised of Monte Oro, Calaca High Power Corp. and the State Grid
Corp. of China, bested the other bidders for TransCo.
Stabilization of power rates
Villafuerte said the granting of the legislative
franchise to NGCP will help stabilize power rates.
“There is an urgent need to grant franchise to
NGCP so it could start operating the transmission system at its full
potential and benefit millions of electricity consumers
nationwide,” said the Camarines Sur lawmaker.
He stressed the government lacks the funds to
modernize and expand the aging transmission system, or even
rehabilitate, repair or refurbish TransCo’s dilapidated equipment.
“Once turned over to the private sector, the
transmission system can be run in an efficient manner with greater
reliability, improved system security and maximum utilization of its
potentials,” he stressed.
|
