CEBU, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress Party expressed its vehement objection to the start of the wholesale Electricity Spot Market in the Visayas on December 26 last year.
“WESM is a curse not a gift. It unleashes a permanent condition of rising power cost upon our consumers, institutionalizes over-reliance on dirty coal, and is a body blow to our local economy,” said TUCP Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza.
TUCP, in a press statement said that WESM was originally conceived under the Electricity Power Industry Reform Act as a mechanism to introduce competitiveness as all distribution utilities would be obligated to buy at least 10 percent of their power requirements from power generators bidding in supply through a power auctioneer or market.
The trouble, according to TUCP is that both the sellers and buyers really come from the same electricity oligarch or politician-turned-power mogul.
“The electricity market is really an area monopoly where for example an Aboitiz power generator sells to an Aboitiz electricity distributor, and this vertical integration of generator-transmission, and distribution means all our consumers are captive to their pricing whims. The power plants selling nearby are also in a monopoly situation over their own service franchise area with the same price-control exerted against the consumers. The 10 percent requirement is just camouflage so that the power moguls can rig the market,” explained Mendoza.
TUCP explained that WESM is just being introduced to confuse the consumers as to who is to blame for their overpriced power, “Equally repugnant to us, is because there is no real competition – except the WESM moro-moro — we are forever tied to dirty, inefficient and expensive coal,” said Mendoza. (FREEMAN NEWS)
September 18 –
International Equal Pay Day
“Increase wages now,
more than other cost items.
For widespread, practical equality!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the recommendations of the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry
against serious violations of protocols of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association.
Accept the National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
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October –
Monthly Observances:
Industry and Commerce Safety Month
National Statistics Month
Local Government Month
Consumer Welfare Month
Cooperative Month
National Quality and Productivity Improvement Month
National Health and Wellness Tourism Month
National Indigenous Peoples Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 1: Elderly Filipino Week
Week 2: National Health Education Week
Local Government Week
National Mental Health Week
October 17-23:
National Week for Overcoming Extreme Poverty
October 18 – 24:
United Nations Week
Last Week:
Nurses’ Week
Consumers’ Protection Week
Week of the 4th Sunday:
Barrio Farmers’ Week
Daily Observances:
First Monday (Oct 4): Universal Children’s Day i
n the Philippines
Oct 5: National Teachers’ Day
Oct 10: Local Government Day
Third Thursday (Oct 14): Conflict Resolution Day
Oct 21: Tenants’ Emancipation day
Oct 24: United Nations Day
Oct 29: National Indigenous People’s Thanksgiving Day
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