Multisectoral alliance M-Power protests outside the Davao Light and Power Company office in this file photo taken in 2012. Progressive partylist, Gabriela Women’s Party is reiterating their call to repeal the Epira law. (davaotoday.com file photo by Medel V. Hernani)
TAGUM CITY, Philippines—A women’s party-list group said Thursday that a repeal of the Emergency Power Industry Reform Act would bring down power cost.
Gabriela Rep. Emmi De Jesus said repealing the Epira law would “provide affordable electricity for Filipino consumers which can be met by reversing the privatization of state power assets.”
De Jesus’ statement came as it backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s disapproval of nuclear energy, noting that “radioactive wastes as a product of nuclear energy pose a grave threat to women’s and children’s health if these will be accumulated,” citing the Chernobyl and Fukushima experiences.
Gabriela said that replacing Epira with a “pro-consumer energy industry policy” would give the government a full power and control to operate, regulate, and upkeep generation and distribution assets.
Such policy, De Jesus said, would also prohibit the “collusion among independent power producers and the privatization of the power grid will be broken and price manipulation that causes expensive electricity will be put in check.”
“Major hydroelectric and geothermal assets that used to belong to the National Power Corporation should be renationalized, and future renewables should be state-owned to create a more stable power grid,” she said. (davaotoday.com)
