PAGADIAN CITY, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR, Philippines — Power distribution cooperatives across the country are pushing back against the proposed scrapping of system loss charges as a component of electricity bills, unless the national government takes on the cost through subsidies. Simply scrapping the charges could cripple rural electrification and drag down local economies, warned Jose Raul Saniel, general manager of Zamboanga del Sur 1 Electric Cooperative (Zamsureco-1) and president of the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (Philreca). Abolishing the charges without a safety net, Saniel pointed out, would turn power sector reform into a dangerous “zero-sum game.” “It should not […]...Keep on reading: Electric co-ops demand subsidy if system loss charge is scrapped