Presidential aspirant Ka Leody de Guzman raised the alarm after the concluded third reading of Senate Bill (SB) 2094, which allows the 100% foreign ownership of public service including telecommunications, air carriers, domestic shipping, railways and subways. The bill now awaits legislation or veto by the President.
He asserted that government must have monopoly control and ownership over public services. The Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) bet tagged the pending “Public Services Act” as a misnomer. He said, “SB 2094 bill will only benefit foreign monopoly capital”.
The labor leader also questioned the rationale of the proposed measure, which promised more and better choices for service providers to Filipino consumers. He stressed, “It is an excuse to further liberalize the economy and relieve the government of its responsibilities to provide essential services to its people. Three decades of profiteering by big business will refute these rehashed arguments for privatization of public services”.
“Kaya nga public services kasi para sa pakinabang ng mamamayan, pangunahing nakalaan sa publiko at hindi yung maseserbisyuhan lamang ang may kapasidad na magbayad sa malalaking pribadong negosyo. Itong huling isinabatas ng Senado ay hindi na lang simpleng pagtalikod sa Konstitusyon kundi pagliligalisa ng pag-abandona ng gobyerno sa mandato nitong magserbisyo sa taumbayan. Hindi kalabisan na hingin ng publiko ang mura at libreng serbisyo mula sa gobyerno dahil sila naman ay nagbabayad ng buwis bilang responsableng mamamayan,” De Guzman asserted.
[“It is called public services because it should benefit of the people. It is primarily to the public and not services only those those who could afford to pay big private businesses. This latest Senate bill is a not only contrary to the Constitution but also a legalization of state abandonment of its mandate to provide for its people. It is not too much for the public to ask for affordable and free services from government because they are the ones that pay taxes as responsible citizens.]
He adds that, “Hindi tubo kundi serbisyo ang dapat na pinagtutuunan sa mga batayang pangangailangan ng taumbayan. Ang ating karanasan sa pribatisasyon ng public utilities gaya ng industriya ng kuryente at tubig ay nagpapakita sa tatlong dekada ng paglago ng tubo ng pribadong korporasyon habang nananatiling kwento ang ipinangakong mas murang serbisyo at kwestyunable pa rin ang sinasabing mas episyente ito kung pinatatakbo ng pribadong sektor. Iniikutan lang nila ang mga regulasyon ng gobyerno at paulit-ulit na nabubulgar na anomalyado ang paraan ng kanilang pagtatakda ng presyo.
[“Service not profit should be the object in the basic needs of our people. Our experience in the privatization of public utilities like power and water industries reveals the three decades of profit accumulation by private corporations even as the promise of cheaper rates remain unfulfilled and the much vaunted efficiency of private-run companies remains debatable. They are dodging government regulations and cases of anomalous pricing mechanisms are always uncovered”]. The labor leader says that he is now in consultation with non-government organizations and public interest lawyers on how to derail the intrusion of foreign private capital in public services.###
