Pampanga residents oppose power rate hike in capital city
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Residents of this capital city have assailed the 50-percent increase in generation charge set to be implemented by the Aboitiz-owned San Fernando Electric Light and Power Co., Inc. (SFELAPCO) next month.
On Monday (Jan. 23), the Federation of Homeowners’ Associations in this city handed over a letter to SFELAPCO questioning the impending power rate increase.
In the letter signed by homeowners’ federation president Joselito Mangune and other officers of the group, they asked SFELAPCO general manager Jose Lazatin for a detailed explanation about the power rate increase, including the company’s expired contract with a generation company and its new contract with an “unnamed generation company” as approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
“Since you said you were going to implement a rate increase starting February 2023, is it correct to assume that your company now has a power service agreement with another generation company? May we therefore request for a copy of the new PSA?” the federation asked.
The homeowner’s federation also asked SFELAPCO for details about the latter’s claim that it is now faced with increased generation charges due to a 400 percent hike in coal prices.
“May we ask what are the monthly purchases of your company from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in the last 12 months in kilowatts per hour and the corresponding prices?” it said.
On Jan. 16, Mayor Vilma Caluag sent a letter to the SFELAPCO raising the same concerns that were initially brought up by the homeowners’ federation.
She also asked for a copy of the power company’s new power service agreement with a generation company and its annual report from 2015 to 2022.
On its social media page, SFELAPCO explained that like other distribution utilities, it is also faced with high generation charges, “as its contract with its generator had expired in December 2022.”
The company said that the generation charge to be imposed on its consumers will increase starting February 2023 due to the 400 percent increase in the price of imported coal and the low peso-dollar exchange rate. It asked consumers to be ‘more prudent” in consuming electricity.
On SFELAPCO’s website, it presented its monthly generation charges from 2012 to 2022.
In the breakdown of its generation charge for December 2022, it was shown that all of the 53,043,271 kilowatt hours (kWh) for the said month were purchased from Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc. at P4.33 per kWh. None were purchased from the National Power Corporation or the WESM.
Aboitiz Power’s website described SFELAPCO as its franchise distribution facility in San Fernando, Pampanga.
“Around 35 barangays within the city depend on SFELAPCO’s electricity supply, including San Isidro and Cabalantian in Bacolor, Pampanga… We are lighting up opportunities that help lead the City of San Fernando and Pampanga towards a brighter future,” the company stated.
On the city government’s social media page, several residents expressed anger and disappointment over SFELAPCO’s rate increase.
“Hirap na po kami sa pambili ng pagkain at karamihan naman po hindi tumataas ang salary rate. May mga basic necessity pa tulad ng water, bigas, ulam, baon ng mga estudyante. Paano pa po kung may mga baby na nagga-gatas at diaper saka mga seniors na nagme-maintenance drugs? Wag naman po ganon kataas, kawawa po ang mga madlang pipol,” a netizen commented.
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