The mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, has already formally requested that the national government authorize the decision to freeze EPM’s public service rates.
Through a letter addressed to the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, Mayor Quintero highlighted the difficult economic situation in the country. He assured that it is not easy for rulers to sleep peacefully before the rise in the cost of living.
“As rulers, it is increasingly difficult to sleep peacefully when we see how the cost of living has risen for our citizens: markets are worth double, gasoline does not stop rising, and public services have irrational prices, making ends meet is increasingly difficult. more difficult for families, especially the poorest ones,” said Daniel Quintero in the letter.
Later, he referred to the decree with which Petro resumes the regulation of public services in Colombia. Along these lines, he requested authorization to freeze EPM’s public service rate.
“In my capacity as Mayor of the city of Medellín and President of the Board of Directors of EPM, I have optimistically received Presidential Decree No. 0227 of February 16, 2023, by which you as President resume the functions in terms of services home publics that were previously headed by the Creg”, the document reads.
Based on the above, Mayor Quintero made the request to freeze the rates. This measure would impact territories such as Medellín, Antioquia, Córdoba, Bolívar, Sucre, Santander, Norte de Santander, Caldas Quindío, Risaralda, Quibdó, Providencia and Santa Marta.
According to the mayor of Medellín, only in electric energy issues, 35% of the national territory would benefit from this measure that seeks to implement Empresas Públicas de Medellín.
Likewise, it was ensured that the rate freeze would not affect EPM’s financial stability in any way.
Gustavo Petro has already assumed the functions of regulation of public services
It is worth remembering that the national government issued decree 0227 on Thursday, February 16, 2023, in which it empowered President Gustavo Petro to resume the regulation of public services in Colombia.
With this, the first president will have the general functions of the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (Creg) and the Drinking Water and Basic Sanitation Regulation Commission (CRA).
The head of state previously explained that he would perform these functions to benefit the civilian population due to changes in electricity and water rates in Colombia. “I am going to assume control directly and personally, based on what the law itself says: first the general interest and that of the user,” he specified at an event in Duitama, Boyacá, on January 26.
These powers are supported in article 370 of the Political Constitution of 1991 and are also consigned in article 68 of Law 142, which established the delegation of presidential functions to the commissions: “The President of the Republic will indicate the general administration policies and efficiency control of home public services”.
Taking this legal scenario into account, the national government decreed that the head of state will resume “for a period of three (3) months from the effective date of this decree, the functions of a general nature delegated” to the Creg and the CRA. The document clarified, in turn, that these entities “will continue to issue administrative acts of a private nature.”
It should be remembered that from the first months of his government, Petro began to manage changes in the charges for public services. He even created the Pact for Tariff Justice to solve problems of increases in energy tariffs. with Infobae