THURSDAY / FEBRUARY 20, 2o2o
!V\AT!V.INQUIRER.NET
By
Pay up, pouter firms
Melvin Gascon
@melvingasconlNQ
Lawmakers on Wednesday
urged delinquent power firms
to settle P95 billion in unpaid
fees to the state-owned Pow-
er Sector Assets and Liabilities
Management Corp. (Psalm) or
risk the ire ofPresident Duterte.
In a ioint hearing of the
House committees on public
accounts and good govern-
ment, the lawmakers called
out six companies with total
debts of about P35 billion from
unpaid power and universal
charges to Psalm.
"We are calling on (them to)
setde before the nefi hearing ...
(lest) the President go ballistic,"
said Anakalusugan Rep. Mike
Defensor, public accounts chair.
"We all saw how President
Duterte went after the water
concessionaires after seeing
that the government (was)
shortchanged (and) made to
pay P11 billion by a Singapore
court ... This is P95 billion," he
added.
Uncollected fees
Defensor's warning fol-
lowed a presentation by Psalm
president and CEO lren€_ Joy
Besidd-Garcia showing un-
collected fees of about P95.3
billion from private firms that
took over the operation of
power plants.
Garcia sald the national
government would assume
these debts once Psalm ceases
operation in 2026.
Republic Act No. 9136 or the
Electric Power Industry Reform
Act created Psalm to help the
tAq-€ -4.6 u
Ab
told
country cope with the r99os' Misamis Power Corp. (P2.63o
power crisis by privatizing the billion) and FDC Utilities Inc.
country's power industry. (PL167 billion) of the Filinvest
Data showed that South Group; tle Good Friends Hydro
Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) Resources Corp. (PL24 billion)
of conglomerate San Miguel believed owned by the Borjas of
corp. owes Psalm Pz:.g bilion Cebu; and Watedront Mdctan
as of December zor9. Casino Hotel Inc. (P87 million)
- Tht 'SPPC operates the ofthe Gatchalian family.
l2oo-megawatt natural gas- "What we are seeing is a
fired power plant in Barangay clear intent to defraud gov-
Ilijan in Batangas City under ernment ... what is even more
an independent power produc- revolting is they will make
er administrator agreement the Filipino people shoulder
(Ippa) with Ps4lm. these liabilities," said Bulacan
iZ Jose Antonio
outstandinsdebts l-J";TT:To:"p'
An itemized listing ofother Defensor said the Manila.
Ippa holders with outstanding Electric Company, which sup-;
debts, however, showed a total posedly owes Psalm P4.9 bil- .
of over P12o billion. lioq has already agreed to set-
The debtors ard the North- tle, pending the resolution of a
ern . Renewables Generation suit before the Supreme Court.
Corp. (P4.579 billion); the FDC rNe