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Ruffy Magbanua

WHEN it comes to profit, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) keeps a distance from the public eye. But when comes to transmissionelated problems, it involves the participation of electric consumers.

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Similarly, when the Agus hydro plants fail to operate, the National Power Corp. (Napocor) throws the blame on the water level of Lake Lanao, calling the public to pray for rains to come.

Somewhere, there is something wrong with this kind of mindset. Every time a power problem occurs, the lowly consumers get the flak.

Case in point: when consumers complain of blackouts, they get nothing but notices of scheduled power interruptions.

Yet electric consumers in this country pay exorbitant electric bills, considered the highest in Southeast Asia, second only to Japan.

To NGCP and Napocor, this is plain and simple economics: we pay the bills, you deliver. No more, no less.

NGCP bills the consumers of transmission charge while Napocor passes on the generation charge. Before Epira, all charges emanated from Napocor.

The lowly consumers of electric power are treated like dimwits (read: morons) to cover-up the kapalpakan of NGCP and Napocor in dealing with  internal-borne problems.

Indeed, the pass-on culture is just like calling all the neighbors around to  intervene in your domestic problem. Moreover, if the biggest mall in the city gets robbed, does it involve its customers for the solution of the crime?  Nope. It’s a petty crime that calls for  police action, not a collective people power.

Without doubt, this passing the buck stance sounds unethical.  A cry-baby  corporate attitude. Not the kind of a sob story for Facebook.

Interestingly enough, power consumers may apply this made-in-Leyte mantra  to NGCP and Napocor: “Bahala kayo sa buhay ninyo!”

Kidding aside, isn’t this practice of passing the burden to the consumers a violation of human rights?

NGCP is in for a business. It is not a government entity per se. Therefore, it has no personality at all to enlist the participation of the public to put a stop the ceaseless bombings in Mindanao. It has to mind its own business in running the transmission business. Period.

In the first place, why go into business if you can’t deliver?

The buzz word is profit with a social conscience.

 (Ruffy Magbanua is a former journalist who was once served Napocor/Transco and later NGCP as communications specialist. He is now the chair of the Movement for a Brownout-Free Mindanao)

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