House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez yesterday vowed to push for the abolition of the Energy Regulatory Commission in the wake of allegations of rampant corruption in the agency that even triggered the suicide of one of its officials.
Alvarez aired this pledge as he filed House Bill 5020 which calls for the elimination of the agency as the decision-making body in the energy industry.
He filed HB 5020 a few days after he also called for the abolition of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel and the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, which occupies offices in the House and the Senate.
“The suspicions raised against the integrity of the ERC, which is primarily entrusted with regulating the country’s electric industry and promoting competition in the market, cannot be ignored,” said Alvarez.
He said one of the considerations that prompted him to file the bill was the suicide of ERC Director Francisco Jose Villa Jr. who left letters alleging shady deals and irregular practices in the agency. (Ben R. Rosario)
