MANILA, Philippines - The People Opposed to Warrantless Electricity Rates (POWER) composed of various cause-oriented and consumer groups will be staging a "lights out" protest on June 9 to push for the scrapping of the value-added tax on power rates, system loss charge and other alleged unjust charges, and the repeal of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).
The lights out protest, will be held in several communities in Quezon City and Manila anytime between 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm on Monday.
The event will also mark seven years of EPIRA, the comprehensive law on the power industry signed by Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in June 8, 2001.
Aside from the lights out protests, event organizers are also expecting more widespread community-based protests in the coming weeks as oil, power and rice prices go up. Ava Kashima K. Austria, BusinessWorld