SC asked to stop Meralco bidding

MANILA, Philippines — Bayan Muna has asked the Supreme Court to temporarily stop the public bidding for power supply contracts set this week by the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).

Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares and party list Rep. Carlos Zarate accused Meralco and the Department of Energy (DOE) of manipulating the bidding to favor Meralco-owned companies.

In asking for a temporary restraining order, Bayan Muna leaders warned that the bidding could result in higher electricity rates.

They questioned the bidding scheduled on Sept. 9 to 11 for the 1,200-megawatt Atimonan power project and other 1,700-MW projects.

Colmenares and Zarate said the planned bidding would cancel the benefit from the Supreme Court’s recent decision voiding Meralco’s “self-serving” supply contracts.

“We were shocked when we found out recently that the DOE has issued a new circular repealing the old circular that granted the DOE and an independent third party the power to supervise Meralco’s bidding process,” they said. —Dona Z. Pazzibugan