Workers from the Alliance of Progressive Labor joined the mass action led by the Kuryente alliance in Mendiola to denounce President Gloria Arroyo's scheme of lowering electricity rates as inadequate and deceptive.
"The real problem is the existing onerous contracts between government and the Independent Power Producers. Any scheme that would continue to honor the PPA would still be detrimental to the public," Josua Mata, secretary general ofAPL, said.
President Arroyo, in her Labor Day message last year, announced that PPA charges of the National Power Corporation would be cut down by P1.25 per kilowatt hour but not the PPA of Meralco which is privately owned by the Lopez family.
In a statement, APL said that the government deceived the consumers last year when it lowered PPA charges but lengthened the period of payment from 7-10 years to 15-20 years depending on the expiration of the contracts. The labor group averred that since October PPA charges began increasing again almost monthly, which now total to P3.00 per kilowatt hour more than the previous charges.
The labor group welcomed the Supreme Court decision to uphold the P28 Billion Meralco refund but it has doubts on how the company would refund it and if the poor would really benefit from it. The group is keen on the proposal to convert the refund to people's shares of stocks and to have a representation in the Meralco board. "This would check further dealings of Meralco that would be detrimental to the consumers," Mata concluded.
Showing posts with label power rate increase. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power rate increase. Show all posts
May 8, 2003
Jun 5, 2002
Thousands Joined the National Day of Protest Against the PPA , Power Companies Stormed by APL Militants
Workers’ indignation over the Purchased Power Adjustment (PPA) continue to escalate as thousands joined various mass actions aimed at: dramatizing the people’s indignation over the unjust collection of PPA; to reiterate the movement’s call for the rescinding of NAPOCOR’s and MERALCO’s onerous contracts with different Independent Power Producers (IPPs); and, the abolition of the PPA.
The protesters’ message is simple: “We don’t want to pay for electricity that we do not consume and we do not want to pay the IPPs for power that they do not even produce,” Josua Mata, APL Secretary General declared. “There is only one solution to this problem, and that is the abolition of the PPA,” he added.
Last 7 June, 300 APL activists stormed the Visayan Electric Company (VECO) in Cebu city.
Last 4 June, pickets, rallies, noise barrages and “lights-off” in numerous communities marked the National Day of Protest Against the PPA. For its part, APL stormed the headquarters of the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) in the morning, picketed the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) in the afternoon and capped the day by leading the noise barrage and “lights off” in the communities around NAPOCOR.
In Davao, tomatoes rained at the administrative office of the Davao Light and Power Company, as APL militants protested the power firm’s .24 centavo increase proposal and the controversial PPA.
In MERALCO, APL militants joined Akbayan in serving a “statement of billing” against the power company for overcharging its consumers these past few years by passing on its contractual obligations to its own IPPs, some of which are suspected of being as onerous as NAPOCOR’s IPP contracts.
In an impromptu debate during the mass actions, a MERALCO manager was forced to admit that it would continue to collect PPA from its consumers to cover its own IPP contracts (despite the suspension of NAPOCOR’s PPA collections).
In the afternoon, APL militants, together with Akbayan, picketed the headquarters of NAPOCOR to reiterate its call for the abolition of the PPA.
The picket in NAPOCOR segued into a noise barrage and “lights off” in the urban poor communities around NAPOCOR.
Members of the Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU) and youth activists from the Movement for the Advancement of Student Power (MASP) and Alyansa were also present during the protest actions.
The National Day of Protest Against the PPA was spearheaded by the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC).
May 29, 2002
Suspension is not Enough, Abolish PPAs!
Today, workers belonging to the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) picketed the MERALCO Office to protest the private utility company’s continued collection of PPA payments to cover its own obligations to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and to reiterate its call for the abolition of the Purchased Power Adjustments (PPA).
The picketers continued to encourage MERALCO customers to have their electricity bills stamped with “under protest” markings.
The suspension of PPA payments slapped by the government to quell the snowballing protest against onerous IPP contracts covers only those that are contracted by the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR).
While the suspension is a welcome move, it is simply not enough. After all, MERALCO gets half of its power directly from its own IPPs, including those owned by the Lopezes themselves.
This means that the promised 80-centavo reduction in PPA payments would not be realized so long as MERALCO is allowed to collect PPA to cover its own IPP contracts, some of which are believed to be as onerous as NAPOCOR’s IPP contracts.
The APL also criticized current legislative measures calling for government to absorb portions of the PPA as unacceptable.
“Congress is ignoring the crux of the problem. We don’t want to pay for power that we don’t use, whether it is collected through PPAs or whether it is through taxes! The only solution acceptable for workers is one that is not premised on meeting the obligations of NAPOCOR and MERALCO to their onerous IPP contracts. All onerous IPP contracts must be rescinded” Josua Mata, APL Secretary General said.
May 14, 2002
WORKERS PICKET MERALCO BRANCHES “KONTRA PPA PATAK CENTERS" ESTABLISHED
Today, workers belonging to the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), together with Bukluran sa Ikauunlad ng Sosyalistang Isip at Gawa (BISIG), will join the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) in picketing Meralco and setting up a “Kontra PPA Tatak Center” at the Cubao MERALCO branch (near Ali Mall) from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. As a sign of protest against the Purchased Power Adjustment (PPA), the picketers would encourage Meralco consumers to have their electricity bills stamped with “under protest” markings. Similar centers will also be set up in different MERALCO branches that include those in Kamuning (cor. EDSA), North Manila (Gen. Na cor Tiangco St., Bgy. Concepcion, Malabon), and in Commonwealth Ave. (near Sandiganbayan, Batasan, Q.C.)
In a move to prop up her sagging popularity and to quell the public’s clamor for the scrapping of the PPA, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s has ordered the NAPOCOR to lower PPA charges to P0.40 per kilowatt-hour. But this failed to impress the protesting workers.
“This palliative measure entirely misses the point. So long as onerous contract with the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) are honored, we would continue to pay for overpriced power that we do not even consume, and in some cases, was not even meant to be produced” Josua Mata, APL Secretary General, declared.
The President’s directive does not intend to solve the problem. Since it continues to honor its onerous contracts with the IPPs, Government is now scampering to find new loans to ensure these payments. This would merely shift the burden of subsidizing the inefficiency and corrupt practices of NAPOCOR, MERALCO and the IPPs to the future.
Scraping the PPA is the only solution!
Unfortunately, even the review of government contracts with the IPPs seems to be getting nowhere. Up to now, the IPP Review Committee has yet to have its own operational budget!
The PPA is more than just an economic issue; it is an issue of grave injustice. Why should the workers be asked to pay for something borne out of corruption and mismanagement of the government in the power industry? The workers could not simply reconcile the fact that they are paying for something that they have never gained anything from but headaches and more miseries. They could have used their hard earned money being paid for PPA instead to buy other necessities like food, clothing, and educational needs for their children.
The picket is just part of the workers’ escalating campaign to scrap the PPA and the contracts signed between the NAPOCOR and Independent Power Producers.
The Alliance of Progressive Labor is a national trade union center that embraces various forms of workers’ organizations in the formal and informal sector. It is a member organization of the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC).
In a move to prop up her sagging popularity and to quell the public’s clamor for the scrapping of the PPA, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s has ordered the NAPOCOR to lower PPA charges to P0.40 per kilowatt-hour. But this failed to impress the protesting workers.
“This palliative measure entirely misses the point. So long as onerous contract with the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) are honored, we would continue to pay for overpriced power that we do not even consume, and in some cases, was not even meant to be produced” Josua Mata, APL Secretary General, declared.
The President’s directive does not intend to solve the problem. Since it continues to honor its onerous contracts with the IPPs, Government is now scampering to find new loans to ensure these payments. This would merely shift the burden of subsidizing the inefficiency and corrupt practices of NAPOCOR, MERALCO and the IPPs to the future.
Scraping the PPA is the only solution!
Unfortunately, even the review of government contracts with the IPPs seems to be getting nowhere. Up to now, the IPP Review Committee has yet to have its own operational budget!
The PPA is more than just an economic issue; it is an issue of grave injustice. Why should the workers be asked to pay for something borne out of corruption and mismanagement of the government in the power industry? The workers could not simply reconcile the fact that they are paying for something that they have never gained anything from but headaches and more miseries. They could have used their hard earned money being paid for PPA instead to buy other necessities like food, clothing, and educational needs for their children.
The picket is just part of the workers’ escalating campaign to scrap the PPA and the contracts signed between the NAPOCOR and Independent Power Producers.
The Alliance of Progressive Labor is a national trade union center that embraces various forms of workers’ organizations in the formal and informal sector. It is a member organization of the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC).
May 1, 2002
Thousands Marched to Celebrate the Labor Centennial and to demand the country’s withdrawal from the WTO!
GMA hounded by protesters in Cebu and Davao!
Workers vow to fight water and power rate increases, oil price hikes and added taxes!
Tens of thousands of workers belonging to the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) today poured into the streets of Manila, Cebu, Bacolod, Davao and Cagayan de Oro to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the Philippine labor movement, press for the strengthening of workers’ and trade union rights and called for the country’s withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“Massive unemployment, contractualization, low wages, skyrocketing water and electricity rates, oil price hikes and added taxes… is this the government’s nasty way of thanking the labor movement after a 100 years of struggles?,” Daniel L. Edralin, APL chairperson, sarcastically said.
Ironically, while the government is bent on fast tracking trade liberalization in the country, countries of the North have increasingly resorted to protectionist measures in violation of WTO rules just so they can save their workers’ jobs. For the first quarter of 2002, 500 local firms were forced to shut down displacing more than 10,000 workers. “This situation is a complete reversal of what the government promised us before joining the WTO in 1995,” Edralin said. “The WTO benefits the rich countries, while leaving the poor countries devastated. Thus we see no reason for us to stay in the WTO any minute longer,” he added.
In Manila alone, 15,000 workers converged in Welcome Rotonda and marched to Mehan Garden. Representatives Etta Rosales (Akbayan party list) and Del de Guzman (Marikina, lone district) and a number of activist delegates from the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) from Asia and Pacific joined the marchers in protesting the evils of capitalist globalization.
Similar mobilizations were simultaneously held in other key cities. In Cebu, UP President Francisco Nemenzo joined 3,000 workers who marched from Fuente Osmeña to Gaisano South. In Davao, 5,000 workers marched around the city. The Cebu and Davao marchers also picketed President Arroyo’s visit in the two cities. At least 2,000 marchers joined the APL-led rally in Cagayan de Oro.
The Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU), the Philippine Cement Workers’ Council (PCWC), the National Alliance of Broadcast Unions (NABU), Postal Employees Union of the Philippines (PEUP) and other workers’ organizations joined APL in these mobilizations. Akbayan and BISIG also mobilized their own members in support of the APL.
In its Labor Day Manifesto, the APL vowed to fight the anti-worker and anti-people policies of the Arroyo administration and to work for the strengthening of workers’ and trade union rights by reforming the labor relations framework in the country through a set of legislative measures dubbed as “Labor Centennial Bills.”
The APL is a social movement center composed of trade union federations, national unions, workers’ associations in the informal sector and workers’ community organization. It has chapters in all the major cities around the country.
Workers vow to fight water and power rate increases, oil price hikes and added taxes!
Tens of thousands of workers belonging to the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) today poured into the streets of Manila, Cebu, Bacolod, Davao and Cagayan de Oro to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the Philippine labor movement, press for the strengthening of workers’ and trade union rights and called for the country’s withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“Massive unemployment, contractualization, low wages, skyrocketing water and electricity rates, oil price hikes and added taxes… is this the government’s nasty way of thanking the labor movement after a 100 years of struggles?,” Daniel L. Edralin, APL chairperson, sarcastically said.
Ironically, while the government is bent on fast tracking trade liberalization in the country, countries of the North have increasingly resorted to protectionist measures in violation of WTO rules just so they can save their workers’ jobs. For the first quarter of 2002, 500 local firms were forced to shut down displacing more than 10,000 workers. “This situation is a complete reversal of what the government promised us before joining the WTO in 1995,” Edralin said. “The WTO benefits the rich countries, while leaving the poor countries devastated. Thus we see no reason for us to stay in the WTO any minute longer,” he added.
In Manila alone, 15,000 workers converged in Welcome Rotonda and marched to Mehan Garden. Representatives Etta Rosales (Akbayan party list) and Del de Guzman (Marikina, lone district) and a number of activist delegates from the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) from Asia and Pacific joined the marchers in protesting the evils of capitalist globalization.
Similar mobilizations were simultaneously held in other key cities. In Cebu, UP President Francisco Nemenzo joined 3,000 workers who marched from Fuente Osmeña to Gaisano South. In Davao, 5,000 workers marched around the city. The Cebu and Davao marchers also picketed President Arroyo’s visit in the two cities. At least 2,000 marchers joined the APL-led rally in Cagayan de Oro.
The Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU), the Philippine Cement Workers’ Council (PCWC), the National Alliance of Broadcast Unions (NABU), Postal Employees Union of the Philippines (PEUP) and other workers’ organizations joined APL in these mobilizations. Akbayan and BISIG also mobilized their own members in support of the APL.
In its Labor Day Manifesto, the APL vowed to fight the anti-worker and anti-people policies of the Arroyo administration and to work for the strengthening of workers’ and trade union rights by reforming the labor relations framework in the country through a set of legislative measures dubbed as “Labor Centennial Bills.”
The APL is a social movement center composed of trade union federations, national unions, workers’ associations in the informal sector and workers’ community organization. It has chapters in all the major cities around the country.
Apr 5, 2002
Meralco a blackmailer! - APL
“The MERALCO is blackmailing the people to undermine mounting public protest against its petition for power rate increase,” Daniel L. Edralin, Chairperson of the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), declared in response to MERALCO’s statement printed in one of the major dailies quoting Rafael Andrada, the power company’s treasurer, that their services would “deteriorate” if it did not get a power rate increase.
It is not surprising that in seeking for a power rate hike, the Lopez Group would use the same line of argument it used when it asked for water rate increase – that the country would experience utility service crisis once their demand for rate increase would not be granted. This manifests their inability and incompetence to provide effective utility service to the people.
“Obviously, they don’t know how to run a business except under conditions of monopoly,” Daniel L. Edralin, APL Chairperson said. “Their expertise lies not in effective management but on how to rake in more billions by sucking up and bleeding dry their captive market – the working people,” he added.
Unfortunately, even Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appears to have swallowed this argument hook line and sinker! Perhaps she wants to assure that the Lopezes would be on her side come 2004 national elections. It is obvious then whose interest she is truly protecting.
The Lopez Group of Companies owns the Manila Electric Co. It also owns the Maynilad Water Service Inc. that supplies water from Manila and Quezon City to other lowland parts of Cavite. The water company, together with the Manila Water Co. (owned by the Ayala’s) increased water rates only last January despite increasing it three times last year.
It is not surprising that in seeking for a power rate hike, the Lopez Group would use the same line of argument it used when it asked for water rate increase – that the country would experience utility service crisis once their demand for rate increase would not be granted. This manifests their inability and incompetence to provide effective utility service to the people.
“Obviously, they don’t know how to run a business except under conditions of monopoly,” Daniel L. Edralin, APL Chairperson said. “Their expertise lies not in effective management but on how to rake in more billions by sucking up and bleeding dry their captive market – the working people,” he added.
Unfortunately, even Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appears to have swallowed this argument hook line and sinker! Perhaps she wants to assure that the Lopezes would be on her side come 2004 national elections. It is obvious then whose interest she is truly protecting.
The Lopez Group of Companies owns the Manila Electric Co. It also owns the Maynilad Water Service Inc. that supplies water from Manila and Quezon City to other lowland parts of Cavite. The water company, together with the Manila Water Co. (owned by the Ayala’s) increased water rates only last January despite increasing it three times last year.
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