Atty. Franklin M. Quijano of PDP Laban Iligan City asserted that the government should not relinquish control over the energy sector and other primary industries, warning that such moves pose risks to the future of national industrialization.
He argued that the country’s history with privatization has been unfavorable, describing past projects turned over to the private sector as “traumatic.”
As an example, Quijano cited the National Steel Corporation, which completely shut down and has not produced a single kilo of steel since it was privatized.
Quijano further emphasized that the sale of power plants such as the Agus-Pulangi Hydroelectric Complex reflects the weakness of the Philippine economy.
He concluded that privatizing primary industries undermines the nation’s capacity to produce its own materials and weakens the overall industrial base.
