'DARK AGES'
MANILA, MARCH 27, 2012 (STANDARD) Written by Christine F. Herrera -
THE senators, congressmen and Mindanao residents suffering daily power outages
lasting up to eight hours have warned President Benigno Aquino III that the
country could be thrown back into the "Dark Ages" of his mother's administration
in the late 1980s.
"If government is not quick in its response and reactions, we could be thrown
back to the Dark Ages of the Cory administration," Senate Majority Leader
Vicente Sotto III told the Manila Standard.
He was referring to the crippling brownouts that lasted up to 12 hours during
the administration of President Corazon Aquino, Mr. Aquino's mother.
The late strongman Ferdinand Marcos had ordered the construction of the
controversial Bataan Nuclear Power Plant that would add 630 megawatts to the
Luzon grid to avoid an impending power crisis. But Mrs. Aquino ordered that
plant mothballed because it was allegedly graft-ridden, although she did not
order the building of other power plants to replace it.
"I agree with Senator Sotto, but we expect even darker ages because the
eight-hour blackouts during the Cory administration were the worst for
Mindanao," said Ramon Floresta, president of the Kidapawan Chamber of Commerce
and Industry.
"Today's eight-hour power blackouts daily under the Aquino son's
administration is just the beginning of longer blackouts."
Senators Manuel Villar and Loren Legarda also expressed concern over
Mindanao's blackouts.
"Something drastic has to be done," said Villar, who noted that privatizing
the government's renewable energy plants in the region had failed in producing
more efficient or affordable power. None of the plants was rehabilitated, and no
new investment or expansion was made after the plants were sold.
"We have to let other players that will seriously invest in the power sector
to bring uninterrupted power and help bring down the cost of power," Villar
said.
"The opposite is happening here. After we sold the plants, the prices went up
and the power outages began."
Villar said he opposed the privatization of the remaining geothermal and
hydroelectric plants in Mindanao because that would drive the price of
electricity higher.
He said he supported a Senate investigation being sought by Senator Francis
Escudero to find out if, indeed, the power outages were artificial and aimed at
forcing the government to sell its remaining power plants.
In the House, Agham Rep. Angelo Palmones and 57 other Midnanao lawmakers led
by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez sought their own probe.
"We in Mindanao are worried that we would be experiencing a power crisis much
worse than in the time of the late President Cory Aquino," Palmones said.
Floresta said the government had failed to keep up with the demand for power
from a growing population.
"Just because this is not happening in the metropolis does not mean this
problem is not important, Escudero said.
"One-fourth of our population lives in Mindanao. Immediate intervention must
be given to this persisting problem given the already volatile peace problem in
Mindanao."
Escudero, a member of the Joint Congressional Power Commission, has asked the
Senate committee on energy led by Senator Sergio Osmena III to look into the
true power situation in Mindanao.
Legarda said the power situation in Mindanao had been a long-standing issue.
"It is not as if the problems became evident only this month. We have the
Agus Pulangi hydro facility, still owned by the government, which can provide
additional capacities once rehabilitated," she said.
"The government cannot just put this facility to waste."
Escudero said the Energy Department could consider opening up the market to
competitive players to build more power plants on the island, with the
government still maintaining some control over the market.
"There is dormant asset lying in the electric cooperatives nationwide who
have an asset base of P130 billion at any given time," Escudero said.
"The Agus-Pulangi hydro power plants, which supply half of Mindanao's power
demand, need to be rehabilitated for at least P3 billion so they can generate
additional capacity.
"The government can tap the electric cooperatives to rehabilitate the plants.
In return, the government can sell them power at low cost so they can get a
return on their investment." he said.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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