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Competition between energy cooperatives: Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero asks Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla for his viewpoints on encouraging more competition between energy cooperatives operating in the country, Tuesday, November 29, 2022. During the confirmation hearing of the Commission on Appointments (CA) on Lotilla's ad-interim appointment, Escudero brought up franchise issues surrounding two energy cooperatives in Iloilo where Congress, in the past, chose to grant only one franchise over the other. "Just to clarify, does the Executive Department encourage Congress to grant more than one franchise in an area, in the spirit of competition?" Escudero asked. Lotilla, despite choosing not to hazard a direct answer at this time, referred to a previous case where Congress chose to grant an electric corporation a franchise to extend its services in an adjoining franchise area, thereby giving users another option to consider. Lotilla also referred the committee to Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the EPIRA Law and reiterated the choices available to electric cooperatives to decide what’s best for their operations: Whether to remain as an electric cooperative under the National Electrification Administration, become a stock corporation under the Corporation Code or to operate as a stock cooperative under the Cooperatives Development Act. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)