Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 5) — The House of Representatives approved on Tuesday a P1,000 budget for the Energy Regulatory Commission for 2018.
ERC budget sponsor Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat on Tuesday said House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez originally wanted to give the ERC a zero budget due to controversies that hound the commission.
“Yung ERC is riddled with a lot of controversies, a lot of problems. At this point in time, sabi ni Speaker, mas mabuti siguro bigyan nalang natin ng one peso,” Lobregat said.
[Translation: ERC is riddled with a lot of controversies, a lot of problems. At this point in time, Speaker Alvarez said it may be good to just give them one peso.]
However, Lobregat said the budget is by the thousands, hence, the lowest amount Congress could give the ERC is P1,000, instead of one peso.
“Yun more or less, sabi ni Speaker talagang panindigan natin yan,” Lobregat said.
[Translation: Speaker said we can more or less stand by it.]
House Appropriations Committee Chair and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said the concern was also echoed by members of the Congress.
“There was a general sentiment among members of the House of Representatives that the ERC really needs to fix a lot of problems besetting their office,” Nograles said.
Nograles said the ERC could still get their proposed budget of P365 million as long as the budget has not yet been passed in both chambers of Congress.
“The ERC has up to the end of the budget process to resolve the issues and controversies hounding their office in order that Congress might reconsider restoring their budget. But until then they will have a P1,000 budget,” Nograles said.
Among the controversies the commission faced was the suicide of the late ERC Director Jun Villa due to alleged corruption in the agency involving ERC chair Jose Vicente Salazar.
Lobregat said ERC’s own commissioners even filed a complaint against their chairman Jose Vicente Salazar.
“The internal problems of the ERC have to be resolved kasi if you put money there in that agency, commission, sayang lang kung walang patutunguhan,” he said.
[Translation: The internal problems of the ERC have to be resolved first because if you put money there in that agency, commission, it will all be for nothing.]
Lobregat said he hopes the one thousand-peso budget would send a strong message for the ERC to fix their problems.
“Sana maayos nila ang problema before 2018. I think that will send a very strong message,” Lobregat said.
[Translation: I hope they can fix their problem before 2018. I think that will send a very strong message.]
