Wazzup Pilipinas!
Not at the expense of the
truth and to the detriment of the public interest.
This was the unstated message
of Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi when he ordered today the
National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) to maximize the utilization of the
fiber optic assets of the power transmission facilities to lower electricity
and Internet rates.
“At the onset of this
administration, we repeatedly requested the National Grid Corp. of the
Philippines (NGCP), through TransCo, to provide the details on how we can take
full advantage of their fiber optic assets embedded in the grid,” said Cusi.
“I have personally asked the
officials of NGCP to provide such status report, because we want to make the
internet services in the country faster and more reliable with the help of our
transmission facilities,” he said.
Cusi pointed out that the
availability and readiness of the fiber optic assets on the transmission system
could improve the electricity services of the NGCP and reduce the cost of
electricity and the national broadband project.
However, the DOE as well as
TransCo have yet to receive an update from the NGCP amid the sudden
proliferation of full page paid print advertisements and repeated
pronouncements over the media to support the government’s broadband and grid
interconnection projects.
“While we are waiting for
NGCP’s data and proposals on the project, there's a need to clarify the
impressions that are being projected by NGCP that it is voluntarily, willing
and able to provide these services for the benefit of the public," Cusi
said.
Amid the apparent disregard
of NGCP of the request, Cusi directed TransCo to audit the NGCP’s work program
and below are the initial yet detailed findings of the company:
a) In 2012, NGCP rejected the
request of the National Government for the use of spare fiber for the
Integrated Government Philippines (IGovPhils) Project;
b) Concealment of a contract
involving the use of the national government’s transmission assets
(substations, high voltage towers/poles, and high-voltage transmission lines)
as a telecommunications backbone; and
c) Decommissioning and
dismantling of a separately installed Fiber Optic Network used by major
telecommunications companies.
Moreover, as the owner of the
transmission facilities, TransCo has been instructed by Cusi to spearhead the
move for the utilization of the fiber optic assets for cheaper and faster IT
services as well as to lower the price of electricity.
The DOE oversees TransCo,
which is mandated to protect the national government’s interests by ensuring
NGCP’s compliance with the terms and conditions of the Concession Agreement and
the policies of the State. Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA),
the NGCP was awarded the sole Concession Agreement for the country’s
transmission system in 2009.
“At the end of the day, what
we would like to achieve is that the consuming public would benefit from all
the government deals and activities, thus we are exploring and exhausting all
the potentials of the transmission system as a government-owned asset,” Cusi
said.
"At the same time, the
department will not hesitate to file cases against abuses or any violation of
the contract which maybe discovered and proven after further investigation of
the NGCP's operations and its activities," he concluded.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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