LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

EVAT nurses the scratch
MARCH L. FIANZA

Among the dole-outs that Malacanang has been distributing, this was the best. Last week, Benguet Electric Coop. general manager Gerry Verzosa announced through the press that the electric cooperative’s member-consumers who consume at the most 100kwh and below are qualified beneficiaries of the government’s dole-out from the EVAT collections.

Malacanang set the maximum cut-off power consumption at 100kwh, thus covering a bigger number of power consumers aside from the existing list of life-line rate users.
The administration panicked, becoming fearful of its own shadow thinking that the increase in prices for commercial rice, fuel and basic goods might spark a nationwide strike. And so they pitied us and decided to plow back part of the EVAT collections on oil sales to taxpayers to cushion the effects of the unstoppable price increases.

It is not the “forever cure,” yet the good news is something that indigent power consumers nationwide can still be grateful of because of the help it offers in emergency situations. It is also unprecedented. But then, without typhoon Frank and the other factors that brought in the emergency situations, the authorities could not have thought of sharing the EVAT. Beneco department head Jun delos Santos said each member-consumer who has an electric consumption billing of 100kwh and below will be listed as a beneficiary of the P500.00 share from the EVAT.

Marketing Specialist Leo Belingon said the indigent power consumers may be able to use their P500.00 share from the EVAT dole-out sometime August, depending on the remittance of the funds to Beneco from Malacanang which in turn will depend on the updated list of those qualified.

Of course, all power consumers who presently avail of the life-line rate discounts of 50% down to 5% representing 1kwh to 45kwh consumption will become “automatic” beneficiaries.

Of the more than 100,000 Beneco member-consumers in Baguio and Benguet, around 33% from the residential section are life-line rate users. As “automatic” beneficiaries of the EVAT dole-out, the number of life-line rate consumers (1kwh to 45kwh) will be added to the list of members who consume at least 100kwh.

Beneco said that all in all, beneficiaries of the P500.00 EVAT dole-out will run to around 80,000 residential consumers in Baguio and Benguet. However, this will only be a one-time or “one month billing” dole-out. For those whose billing amounts to less than the P500.00 dole-out, whatever is left will be deposited with Beneco which will be used to pay future electric bills.

What I wanted to ask the authorities on the EVAT is: what about the poor sector that does not have electric power consumption to talk about because of the fact that they do not have electric meters and therefore may not even pass as life-line rate users? ***
In congress, Rep. Exequiel Javier filed an alternative solution as the country’s silent majority continuously prayed for scrapping of the oil deregulation law and the EVAT which Malacanang refuses to drop because of the revenues that it collects out of implementing the same.

Javier’s bill aims to stop fuel taxes from being passed on to end-users by putting a maximum level or ceiling for fuel prices that become EVATable once they go over the agreed price level. While that is a fine proposal, would it not be better if congress put back government control over the fuel industry in the country, at the same time scrap EVAT which was not there in the first place. Anyway, sharing the EVAT through dole-outs is merely lacing the scratch with betadine. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com