DOE and ALECO to Blame for Blackmail of Disconnection

News Release

January 13, 2014

Reference: Vince Casilihan

Cellphone number: 09481390488

Karapatan-Bicol today assailed the “barrage of spiteful ploys forcing Albay Electric Cooperative’s privatization”, as the human rights organization denounces the renewed threat of ALECO’s disconnection by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. 

“When the privatization maniacs failed at taking over ALECO, they have once again thrust the bludgeon of power stoppage,” Vince Casilihan, spokesperson of the group, said.  “And what insolence Petilla has in blaming protesters for ALECO’s possible disconnection,” he continues.

Casilihan exclaims the human rights organization’s revulsion on Department of Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla’s statement to media organizations that protesters are to be blamed for the impending disconnection as consumers are allegedly prevented from paying their bills. To this, Casilihan bares Petilla’s brazenness as “a lie to cover up the malversation of funds” supposedly by ALECO officials. “Nearly 265 million pesos under the Special Payment Agreement collected from the consumers were specifically intended to pay off ALECO’s electricity bills,” Casilihan explains. “This amount should be initially enough to prevent disconnection. But we ask Sec. Petilla and ALECO’s Project Supervisor Veronica Briones to explain where the people’s hard-earned payments went,” examines Casilihan.

In this connection, the human rights organization expresses its support of a Congress resolution directing the investigation into the anomalies surrounding ALECO operations. “The people have the right to know if indeed, PS Briones and other ALECO officials allegedly benefitted from the non-remittance of the consumers’ payments,” Casilihan bares. “ Also,” furthers the Karapatan-Bicol spokesperson, “were the SPA funds exploited by ALECO in order to buy off the supposed impartiality of some media persons in order to block the broadcast of the people’s rightful stance on the ALECO issue?”

Casilihan nonetheless notes that the necessity of due action to confront the recent developments challenging ALECO member-consumers should not obscure the more significant task of fighting the bigger evil that is privatization. “The government, along with Noynoy Aquino’s business partners, are ganging up on the people to subjugate them to the exactions of privatization,” Casilihan continues. “Big capitalists are preying on the people’s electric cooperatives as endorsed by the Aquino government, and this is why we have blackmails of power disconnections in the region.” Casilihan observes that privatization has allowed a handful of capitalists to dominate the country’s power industry from generation, transmission, and distribution.

“We must remain vigilant and keep a watchful eye on these maniacs’ devious moves and collectively fight the darkness of privatization,” Casilihan exhorts on all Bicolanos. “Just as this anti-people government of Aquino and his hacendero-comprador ilk are ruthless in their assault on the people’s livelihood, so must we be relentless in frustrating them and advancing just struggles for brighter prospects.” ###