JARIUS Bondoc’s recent column in the Philippine Star on the cost of electricity in the Philippines is at the very least, misleading to the public, which begs the question: Does Mr. Bondoc have an accurate understanding of the facts, or was he fed with information by Department of Energy Secretary Popo Lotilla, whom he quotes in his column? The cost of electricity in the Philippines as reported by Meralco electric power distribution company and quoted by the International Energy Consultants is 17.50 per kilowatt-hour, which is just below Singapore and Japan, making it among the costliest rates in Asia. Mr. Bondoc is quick to discount the data. He says the reason for the high cost is that “the Philippine government doesn’t sponsor power firms.”
The power companies in other Asian countries (Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam), we are told, receive subsidies from their respective governments, which lower electricity costs significantly. Mr. Bondoc adds: “These countries subsidize more than 50% of their electricity rates…. Those grants totaled $138 billion in 2022, IEC reported. A similar grant to Meralco would cost $4.2 billion…a year.”
The question is then asked: where to get the money? Secretary Lotilla is quoted as saying, “Last year, Vietnam’s power company asked for subsidy from their national government just to cope with the increase in fuel prices. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand can afford subsidies because they have enough oil and coal resources. The Philippines has no such option. If we were to subsidize power, who would pay for it? We would.”
Please be reminded that in 2022, the DOE under the leadership of Mr. Lotilla gave up its rights to the Malampaya gas field and its daily income of $1.77 million a day or over $664 million a year. Malampaya could have helped pay for the power subsidy. But no, Mr. Bondoc, Malampaya is now in the hands of tycoon Ricky Razon because the DOE agreed to Chevron and Shell selling their participating interests in Malampaya first to ex-presidential crony Dennis Uy, who then sold the shares to current presidential crony Razon. Razon’s Prime Infra is now the entity receiving $1.77 million a day from Malampaya! This money should belong to the Filipino people because we own Malampaya, our richest natural resource. All Mr. Lotilla had to do when Chevron and Shell gave up their rights was to take Malampaya over at no cost to the Filipino people! Instead, purportedly with the advice of two ex-Supreme Court justices, he allowed the Malampaya scam to happen. Malampaya is now in the hands of the wealthiest member of our sitting oligarchy! How dare Mr. Lotilla ask who should pay the power subsidy?
Mr. Bondoc, we know you personally, and you enjoy a reputation as a straight-shooting, legitimate, knowledgeable, professional journalist who does his homework, relies on diligent research, and shares his information with the Filipino people who have learned to trust you. What happened here? Were you misinformed? We prefer to believe that this is not your honest opinion. It would be beneath you to accept this as truth. Please do not be complicit in a deliberate effort to deceive the Filipino people. The resources from Malampaya could have been used to not only subsidize our electricity costs, but to alleviate the poverty of our people. The government under President Bongbong Marcos gave Malampaya away. Tell that to your readers.
Sincerely,
NATIONAL YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA
