10/05/2026
“𝙋𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙨 𝙠𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙪𝙧𝙮𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣.”
During the homily on the 6th Sunday of Easter, Most Rev. Jose R. Rapadas III, D.D. reminded us of a truth that speaks deeply to the realities faced by many Filipinos today: “𝙋𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙨 𝙠𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙪𝙧𝙮𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣.” When essential services like electricity are placed primarily in the hands of private corporations, it is often the poor who bear the heaviest burden.
In this light, we take a firm and principled stand:
We support the rehabilitation of the Agus Pulangi Hydroelectric Complex under government leadership, ensuring that this critical resource continues to serve the public interest.
We firmly oppose any move toward privatization that would transfer control and the bulk of benefits to private entities at the expense of the Filipino people.
We affirm that public ownership must go hand in hand with genuine reform, transparency, and accountability. To reject privatization is not to defend inefficiency, waste, or corruption. On the contrary, it is a call to build a system of governance that truly works for the people—one that is responsive, responsible, and just.
In the same spirit, we call for this very principle to be upheld in the case of SOCOTECO II. Electricity is not merely a commodity—it is a basic necessity that powers homes, livelihoods, and communities. Its management must remain anchored in public welfare, not profit.
We therefore call for meaningful reforms within SOCOTECO II—reforms that ensure efficiency, integrity, and accountability—while firmly rejecting any path that leads to privatization. The solution is not to surrender public control, but to strengthen it for the benefit of all.
!!!