Kadamay hits DLPC anew

Davao City- The Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) together with various sectoral groups staged a picket rally in front of Davao Light and Power Company today (August 26) denouncing  the Davao Light and Power Company for hiding the truth with regards to the power rate increase.

DLPC gained criticism from the group after the latter announced that it will increase its distribution charge to 0.08 per kilowatt hour starting this month.

According to Franchie Buhayan, Spokesperson of Kadamay, “It is not true that DLPC’s power rate hike is only 0.08 per kilowatt hour. Based on our previous bill, before the power rate increased was imposed, the distribution charge is 1.2409/ kwh. In our August 2010 bills, it went up by 1.570/kwh or an increase of 0.3311/kwh, which is much bigger than the announced 0.08/kwh increase.”

Buhayan also claimed that, aside from the increase in the distribution charge, DLPC also increased its supply charge by 0.0327/kwh. This increase, according to Buhayan was not announced to public consumer by the said power company.

She cited further that, in the previous billings before August, the supply charge is only 0.1716/ kwh but at present, it loomed by 0.2043 per kwh.

“This is a highly questionable increase and the DLPC announcement appears to us as a deliberate public deception,” said Buhayan.

KADAMAY, along with other sectoral groups in Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and the allinaces in Consumer Alert, will be circulating a petition signing all over Davao City to encourage the people to oppose the power rate hike. They will also conduct forums in various baranggays and organizations about the ill-effects of the EPIRA or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

EPIRA, according to Buhayan, is one of Arroyo’s anti-people policy and this was opposed before by President Noynoy Aquino when he was still a Representative of Tarlac.

“We are challenging the Aquino administration to repeal this law,” said Buhayan.

KADAMAY is also calls for  the City Council to immediately act and intervene on this issue for the public consumers’’ interest and welfare. The urban poor group palns to hold massive protest if DLPC will not stop this power rate increase.#