ERC chair dismayed over CA's TRO on power supply agreement

• Published date: 26 November 2022
• Publication title: Philippines News agency

Energy Regulatory Commission chair Monalisa Dimalanta on Friday expressed disappointment over the Court of Appeals order suspending the implementation of the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) between the Manila Electric Company and San Miguel Corp.'s subsidiary South Premier Power Corp. (SPPC).

Dimalanta, in a statement, expressed grave concern over the instantaneous effect of the temporary suspension in the implementation of the PSA based on a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the CA this week.

This, she said, will consequently expose approximately 7.5 million registered Meralco consumers in the National Capital Region and other areas in Central Luzon and Calabarzon to higher electricity prices without the preparation usually observed in case of PSA termination.

'If these PSAs are immediately suspended, this brings us precisely to the situation which we at the ERC have sought to avoid with our ruling that required the proper observance of the terms of the PSA, including the contractually-agreed process of termination,' Dimalanta said.

The CA's 14th Division said it is suspending the implementation of the agreement for 60...