LESS THAN ZERO
Mitch T. Esmino

With the furor over the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative’s alleged overcharging of its member-consumers slowly dying down, we are left with the question of whether we had just been taken for a ride. Nothing had come out of the supposed overcharge—which according to the Marcoses run to at least P120 million. Well, there was this measly rate reduction which would never really be felt at all, especially by residential users, what with only a 17-centavo reduction. Besides this minute rate reduction would surely be overwhelmed by the coming National Power Corporation’s rate increase, expected to be reflected on the June billing cycle. And for all the airtime and print space that this issue dominated, the highly awaited official result and subsequent rebate order from the Energy Regulatory Commission had not arrived as promised.

The latest development saw INEC officials, with their Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives party-list representatives in tow, met with ERC officials led by its chairman, former Isabela Representative Rodolfo Albano. Suddenly, the official results and order, which according to the Marcoses was only being finalized, may not even materialize at all. The INEC officials were saying upon their return that the ERC is set to do a re-audit, meaning they would investigate all over again. So much for the rebate order.

The INEC officials, along with their APEC back-ups, reportedly told Albano that if INEC is found to have overcharged its consumers, then all Philippine cooperatives would also be found to have overcharged their respective consumers since they are all using the same formula. In the end, if we are to believe the INEC officials’ pronouncements, the ERC backed off, purportedly to re-investigate the matter, which only showed that when a single electric cooperative screws its consumers it is not fine, but when they all do, officials task to police this rank would have to re-think their options. But of course, this is only the INEC officials’ report.

Just the same, Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Mariano V. Marcos II insists that INEC overcharged its consumers. Only now, he seemed to have backed off a step, too, as he could only say it is his belief that they did so. Gone was the assuredness of the “very cut and dried” scheme INEC supposedly implemented to bilk its consumers of extra charges. Gone, too, was the reassurance that the ERC would ultimately hand down a rebate order.

And as everyone concerned in this mess was busy scrambling for recognition or trying to save their hide, it may be safe to say that this was nothing but an elaborate rouse to give due recognition to some people who may be interested to aspire for a higher political post. And this was done at the expense of the Ilocanos who believed they were getting a relief from high power rates and from receiving back their hard-earned money which was stolen allegedly by INEC with their overcharge.

And as electrifying as the issue and the personalities involved were, what should have been at stake is the public interest, which these people only wanted to take advantage of for entirely different reasons. Surely, it would redound on them soon. But may be not as soon as 2007 when the next local elections are scheduled. Hopefully by then, these people would have learned that they are supposed to be serving the public and not merely entertaining them. And definitely not raising their hopes up only to fail them miserably in the end.

For at the end of the day, nothing has yet to be accomplished. No refund, no real rate reduction and no penance from the people who supposedly were the ones in charge of overcharging their consumers.

The only things that may have been accomplished are to boost the stocks of an absentee official who now can crow that he was at least doing something, and another official who aspires to move up in the political ladder.