![]() It was really fast,” Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA) president Maria Theresa Capellan told Rappler.Īt least 15 lawmakers also questioned the “apparent haste” and filed House Resolution 2182, which called for further deliberations on the bill even after the committee report. “Can you imagine, it was just reviewed for 3 days in the franchise committee. It is already set for 3rd reading likely before Congress adjourns for the Christmas break before December 15. The bill passed 2nd reading on December 4 after 3 days of interpellation. The panel held only one public hearing and one executive session, with no other stakeholders from the power and solar industries invited. In just less than a month, the panel led by Palawan 1st District Representative Franz Alvarez released a report consolidating the bills into HB 8179, recommending the grant of the franchise. Traditionally, it is the chairperson of the House committee on legislative franchises who sponsors such measures. ![]() Yap, together with Compostela Valley 1st District Representative Maria Carmen Zamora, filed another bill HB 8015 on the same day. “The allegations being thrown are completely false…The Constitution itself says no franchise should be exclusive so even if it were, it would be stricken down in courts…There is no legitimate argument against depriving Filipinos of choice,” he said.īohol 3rd District Representative Arthur Yap filed HB 8013 on August 6, 2018. But in an interview with House reporters on Tuesday, December 6, Leviste denied allegations that the bill is bound to create a monopoly. Rappler repeatedly tried to reach Leviste and his camp but they have yet to respond. (READ: Senate inaction on China: No inquiry amid militarization) Power groups also slammed the hasty passage of the bill and the alleged political connections of Leviste, the son of President Rodrigo Duterte’s ally, Senate finance committee chair Legarda, and former Batangas governor Jose Antonio Leviste. Solar groups also said there is no need for a franchise as they are able to distribute power under existing 3rd party rules. Lawmakers and power players, including independent power producers that are the big guns in the generation sector, solar players, and rural electric cooperatives, opposed the bill, citing violation of the law and the equal protection and non-impairment of contracts guarantees in the 1987 Constitution. Private distribution utilities, like Meralco and Davao Light, and non-stock, non-profit rural electric cooperatives have franchises that are limited in scope and area. No distribution company has the same privilege. Only the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has a nationwide franchise, as it is the sole operator of the country’s power transmission network. Solar firms usually do not need to get a franchise to install panels in businesses and houses. Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) – considered the bible of the industry – only two sectors, transmission and distribution, require a congressional franchise. Instead, such areas were mentioned in the bill as part of the “areas to be determined by the DOE.” It was later included during the period of amendments but still not as an outright limitation. SPSB’s 25-year franchise application in the House of Representatives is already up for final approval, just 4 months after it was filed in August. Under the rules, a franchise bill must first be passed in the House before it is transmitted to the Senate.Īccording to the Department of Energy, the firm seeks to secure a “ super franchise” to go into all 4 power sectors: generation, transmission, distribution, and supply through the use of mini-grids to electrify unserved and underserved areas in the country.īut in House Bill 8179 under committee report 848, there was no explicit mention that SPSB could only enter these areas – prompting fears SPSB would be able to enter any place it wants and distribute not just solar power. Independent power producers, solar players, and rural electric cooperatives, however, mantained he does not need and deserve a franchise. Leviste, the 25-year-old chief of SPSB, has denied allegations he quickly got a “mega franchise” because of his mother’s help and lawmakers’ special treatment. ![]() ![]() MANILA, Philippines – Can a solar firm secure an unprecedented nationwide power franchise from Congress? Yes, if the owner’s mother is a lawmaker, according to critics of Solar Para Sa Bayan (SPSB) Corporation owned by Senator Loren Legarda’s son, Leandro Leviste.Ĭritics argued there was special treatment in the speedy passage of the son’s nationwide “ mega-franchise” for his firm, a subsidiary of Solar Philippines, the largest solar energy provider in the country.
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