Iligan diocese opposes Agus-Pulangi privatization

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Iligan has opposed plans to privatize the Agus-Pulangi Hydroelectric Complex, warning that corporate control of Mindanao’s major renewable energy source could raise electricity costs and negatively affect poor communities.

In a pastoral letter titled “To Keep the Light for All” released on Sunday, Jose Rapadas III expressed the church’s opposition to proposals involving public-private partnerships for the rehabilitation of the aging hydroelectric facilities.

The statement came as the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. evaluates unsolicited proposals from private consortiums seeking to rehabilitate and operate the power complex.

“We firmly oppose any move toward the privatization — direct or indirect — of Agus-Pulangi,” Rapadas said, rejecting concession arrangements that would transfer effective control of the facilities to private corporations.

The diocese stressed that electricity should be treated as a public service rather than purely a commercial commodity.

“When a basic necessity like power is treated mainly as a commodity rather than as a service for the common good, it is the poor who suffer first and most,” the bishop said.

“Essential services such as electricity… must be governed in a way that serves the common good, not merely private gain,” he added.

The Agus-Pulangi complex consists of seven hydroelectric power plants that historically supplied more than half of Mindanao’s electricity needs. Rapadas described the facility as a public asset built through the sacrifices and taxes of Filipinos.

While recognizing the need to rehabilitate the aging facilities, the diocese said reforms and accountability within the public sector — rather than privatization — should be prioritized.

“We affirm that public ownership must be accompanied by serious reform and accountability,” Rapadas said. “To reject privatization is not to defend inefficiency, waste, or corruption.”

The pastoral letter also encouraged Catholic faithful and local leaders to support peaceful advocacy efforts, including a signature campaign led by the Movement Against Privatization of APHEC.