JV Ejercito: Gov’t should control utilities concerned with national security
May 15, 2023
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said
utilities crucial to national security should be placed under government
control.
Ejercito cited the recent power outages in
some parts of Luzon and the airport traffic fiasco that paralyzed air travel
across the archipelago in January as eye-openers on the vulnerability of the
country’s critical utilities.
“Any utility that concerns national security
tulad ng aviation at itong electricity o kuryente ay dapat nasa control ng
pamahalaan,” he said.
The lawmaker from San Juan warned that the
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is particularly susceptible
to sabotage since 40 percent of its shares are owned by the State Grid
Corporation of China (SGCC), an electric utility company owned by the Chinese
government.
“Iyan ang pinakabackbone ng ating electricity.
Kumbaga, lahat ay diyan kumukuha: yung mga distributors, yung mga electric
cooperatives, yung MERALCO, at iba pa [...] Dahil ito ay nabili na ng Tsina,
ang pag-aari ng Tsina ay 40 percent,” Ejercito said.
“So ito rin, wag naman sana, alam naman natin
na meron tayong dispute with China sa West Philippine Sea, paano kung isang
araw, biglang isang switch lang, papatayin nila ang buong grid natin,
mapaparalyze ang ating buong ekonomiya,” he added.
While the SGCC owns less than half of the
NGCP’s total shares, Ejercito said Chinese influence on the latter’s operations
cannot be downplayed.
“I’m just being a realist. Kumbaga, sabihin na
nating totoo, alam naman natin na minsan yung mga ganyan, ang totoong
nagcocontrol na nito ay yung Chinese corporation,” he said.
The Senator urged the national government to
conduct an audit of all private corporations providing utilities critical to
national security.
He also asked the national government to study
the purchase of SGCC’s shares in the country’s national grid.
“Iyan ay concern ng national security at
national interest. Lahat ng bagay that concerns the welfare of the Filipino
people ay pwede dapat himayin at tignan ng ating pamahalaan,” he said.
“Kung ano man ang paraan para mabuy back o mabili yung
shares na napunta sa korporasyon na pag-aari ng Chinese government, para sa
akin, hanapan natin ng paraan,” he added.
