EDITORIAL

PNoy Needs Standby Power To Deal

With Power Crisis

Sen. Chiz Escudero believes President Benigno Aquino III needs more than emergency powers to address the worsening power crisis in Mindanao. There is now four to eight hours of rotational brownout all over Mindanao.

The members of the House of Representatives are also considering the holding of a special session to grant the country’s chief executive emergency powers to immediately address the inadequate power supply that is crippling the southern Philippines.

“I am willing to give the President more than emergency powers given the gravity of the present situation. PNoy should be granted standby power in case of extraordinary situation that he can exercise at his own sound discretion without having to run to Congress every now and then and wait for its imprimatur,” Escudero stressed.

The senator, however, said that the standby power extended to the President must be defined within the framework of extreme circumstances and limitations. It should ensure not to replicate the same mistakes of the past where instead of finding solutions, people were made to suffer more, Escudero cautioned.

In 1992, the country was plunged into a severe power crisis which led then President Fidel Ramos to seek emergency powers from Congress to deal with the problem. Some 40 independent power producers signed contracts with the take or pay provisions with the government, which only spawned an oversupply of power plants and forced consumers to pay energy costs that they did not consume.

The standby power, Escudero explained, should only be temporary means to provide immediate remedies in cases of national emergencies.

“This power crisis in Mindanao is one of those extraordinary circumstances that calls for extraordinary power,” Escudero pointed out. “Its impact and its consequences are already felt by every single resident. If long-term solution is not yet readily available in the nearest time frame, then let an immediate remedy be readily provided,” added Escudero.

President Aquino believes the power problem in Mindanao is a long neglected one and solving it may take more than two years. PNoy refers to the rehabilitation of the Agus hydropower plant where bulk of Mindanao’s energy supply comes from.

The government is sending two crude-powered barges to Mindanao to temporarily ease the shortage, but this is costly and will make consumers pay more.

“The standby power of the President can very well address the valid issue on pricing. He can impose a price cap in case of market failure. Fears of monopoly and skyrocketing power prices grip our Mindanao residents aside from the already tenuous power supply issue, but the President can prevent this from happening with the said standby powers and calm the edgy residents,” Escudero explained.

Last week, Escudero filed Senate Resolution No. 753 which asks the Senate committee on energy to look into the real power situation in Mindanao and to determine the issues to be resolved and institute appropriate policy reform even if it would mean amending the EPIRA Law.

BUCKS QUIT CALLS FOR ALMENDRAS

Senator Chiz Escudero brushed aside calls for Department of Energy (DoE) Secretary Rene Almendras to resign amid the worsening power woes gripping the southern part of the country.

Escudero, a member of the Joint Congressional Power Commission (JCPC), believes there is no basis to call for the DoE chief’s resignation even after some quarters were pushing to extend emergency powers to President Aquino to immediately address the energy shortage in Mindanao.

Mindanao has been experiencing daily rotational power interruptions due to power supply deficit of around 200 megawatts. The available power capacity in Mindanao is only about 1100 or 1200 megawatts but the demand, especially for the month of March, is 1300 megawatts, Escudero said.

“The deficit for March is about 178 megawatts, but come April it will become 345 megawatts, which is already very difficult to catch up given the current supply side. One of the main causes of this problem is a complicated and technical issue which is very expensive if addressed and executed. But it will be a long-term solution to end these woes” Escudero said. /MP