By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Powerwatch Negros lead convenor and labor rights advocate Wennie Sancho yesterday criticized the proposed P1,000 budget for the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which was recently approved by the House of Representatives.
According to Sancho, if ERC does not have its requested budget, there would be nobody to monitor the transactions made by the electric cooperatives.
He added, it would also cause problems from power consumers, as they will have no way of submitting their complaints and grievances against power cooperatives.
“If the ERC exists, then there would be an intervening body to resolve complaints and protect the welfare of the consumers,” Sancho said.
Aside from ERC, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) were also allotted P1,000 in the 2018 national budget./WDJ