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By Efren L. Danao, Senior
Reporter
SENATE President Juan Ponce
Enrile went directly to the public Friday to drum up support for his
two power reduction bills after noting resistance from the fiscal
managers of the Arroyo administration.
Finance Secretary Margarito Teves
had opposed the Uniform Franchise Act and the Electricity Rate
Reduction Act authored by Enrile because they would result in lower
revenues for the national treasury.
Enrile said in a press conference
that the two bills complement his bill amending the Electric Power
Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) that the Senate had already passed on
third and final reading.
“The EPIRA amendment will take
a long time because there is no counterpart bill in the House. That
is why I filed these two bills,” he said.
Sen. Gregorio Honasan, chairman
of the Senate Committee on Energy, had started his sponsorship on
the floor of the Electricity Rate Reduction Act.
The Uniform Franchise Act is
still pending before the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Enrile
is confident that the two bills will pass muster in the chamber.
“Several congressmen have
approached me asking if they could sponsor the two measures in the
House,” Enrile said.
He predicted that the Uniform
Franchise Tax measure will reduce power rates by 9 centavos per
kilowatt hour.
The bill seeks to impose a
uniform 3-percent franchise tax on the distribution income of power
utilities in lieu of all taxes collected by the government.
“The power rate reduction by
the Electricity Rate Reduction Act will be more substantial,” he
added.
The bill seeks to lower the
government share in the royalty in the discovery, exploration,
development and production of indigenous sources of energy.
He estimated that the measure
would reduce the power rates by P67 per billing date for those
consuming 51 to 50 kilowatt hours and by P21 per billing date for
those consuming 21 to 50 kWh.
A by P1 to P2.50 per kWh
reduction is seen for highload customers like factories,
manufacturers and hospitals, depending on consumption; and by 11 to
13 centavos for the rest, also depending on consumption.
Enrile said this bill would cure
the “anomalous” situation where energy produced from indigenous
sources is more costly than imported coal.
He pointed out that imported coal
contributes a mere 22 centavos in the production of one kWh,
imported crude, 22 centavos per kWh while indigenous natural gas
contribute P1.79.
“Under the present law,
consumers of 100 kWh and above are subsidizing those consuming less.
This bill will remove that subsidy,” he added.
With Maria Nikka Garriga
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