Manila Electric Co., the country’s largest private electric distribution utility company, already has its hands full with its franchise area that covers 39 cities and 72 municipalities.
But looks like it will have to get ready to take on more responsibility as the Batangas Forum for Good Governance and Development Association Inc. has strongly backed the proposed joint venture between the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led company and Batangas II Electric Cooperative (BATELEC II).
BATELEC distributes electricity in the cities of Lipa and Tanauan, and 15 municipalities, namely: Alitagtag, Balete, Cuenca, Laurel, Lobo, Malvar, Mataas na Kahoy, Mabini, Padre Garcia, Rosario, San Jose, San Juan, Talisay, Taysan and Tingloy.
The Batangas Forum formalized the group’s full endorsement of the joint venture through a resolution dated Oct. 29 and signed by its chair, president, vice president and board of trustees.
Composed of business and civic leaders, professionals and Batangas residents, the group has been flagging frequent power problems that disrupt business operations and stifle growth in the province, thus their recommendation for the joint venture to push through.
Citing Meralco’s financial and operational track record, the group believes that the distribution utility can bring in the systems, investments and operational discipline needed to deliver more dependable service to local enterprises and communities-as it has done in Batangas City, Sto. Tomas City and San Pascual. -Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Scourge of ‘patong’ practice
As public confidence in the government dwindles, so does the trust of businesses in the country’s state agencies.
In a survey conducted by behavioral science and data firm BS Works covering 149 senior management executives from micro to large companies, business leaders expressed ‘moderate dissatisfaction’ with transacting with national government agencies.
Interestingly, businesses are more satisfied with their experience in doing business with local government units.
Cities and municipalities received a ‘moderate satisfaction’ rating, with business hubs Quezon City, Makati and Taguig leading them.
For the business executives, the Department of Trade and Industry is the easiest agency to transact with, while the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is the most difficult.
BS Works CEO Cliff Eala said concerns with the BIR primarily stem from perceptions of corruption.
‘I’m not saying everyone in BIR is corrupt. But the perception is that if I’m going to the BIR, I have to be ready for corrupt people,’ Eala said. ‘Fixing that is a different problem altogether.’
The study measured satisfaction across five key areas: respondent’s positive experience with the agency, expenses or fees, clarity of requirements, turnaround time, and efficiency of online tools.
Astonishingly, business leaders reported being most satisfied with the amount of fees that the agencies collect. What’s frustrating for them is the under-the-table payment that some officials ask for to expedite the process.
‘The fees seemed to be okay; it’s what’s made patong (grease payments) on top of the fees that’s an issue,’ he said.
As corruption scandals continue to plague certain government agencies, this study shows that business leaders are not turning a blind eye. -Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta INQ