No resolution yet on granting Noy’s emergency powers

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MANILA — After an eight and a half-hour-long meeting on Tuesday, the Senate and the House still failed to make a final decision on their reconciled joint resolution to grant emergency powers to President Aquino.

The bicameral committee on the joint resolution will still have to consider eight “small” issues on their meeting next Wednesday night.

The committee still needs to discuss several matters including a provision that will allow the government to pass on to consumers the cost of implementing Interruptible Load Program.

The said program, according to Sen. Serge Osmeña, chair of the Senate committee on energy, will be running from March to July.

“Well that can be compromised, we can do a compromise and it’s not a deal breaker,” Osmeña said of the pass-on provision.

The senator added that the committee needs to know the cost they would pass on to consumers once the ILP is implemented.

The Manila Electric Company, meanwhile, pegged the initial estimate of the cost to reach P660 million for the next three months.

Osmeña added that the bicameral committee will resume the meeting  at the earliest Wednesday night or at the latest, next Monday.