UNBELIEVABLE!
[PHOTO - Contrasting views: President Aquino talks about the gains
of the country's economy at the Philippine Investment Forum at the Peninsula
Manila in Makati City while an alliance of urban poor in Navotas demands better
roads and housing and farm workers from Hacienda Luisita burn posters of the
members of the President's family in Mendiola. LINO
SANTOS]
MANILA, MARCH 29, 2012
(STANDARD) Written by Christine F. Herrera -
A LAWMAKER allied with the administration on Tuesday said he wasn't buying the
Palace spin that President Benigno Aquino III was blameless for the power crisis
in Mindanao, saying Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras was being made a fall
guy.
"It is unbelievable that the President was not made aware of the power crisis
in Mindanao," Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said.
"He is the President. He should know about the problem of the 25 million
people of Mindanao."
Casiño said that as early as 2010 or the opening of the 15th Congress,
Mindanao's lawmakers had already started making noise about the rolling
blackouts in Mindanao.
"How can the President be kept in the dark or how can he not know, when as
early as the opening of the 15th Congress in 2010 the Mindanao lawmakers were
already urging the Aquino government to do something about the power crisis in
Mindanao?" Casiño said.
"It is unbelievable that the President was deaf to all that noise. Why do
they want to keep the heat off the President by saying he was kept in the dark?"
The Palace on Tuesday denied that the President was kept in the dark, saying
Almendras had briefed the President contrary to the claims of Agham Rep. Angelo
Palmones.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda also defended Almendras over the
accusations he did nothing to avert the crisis.
"Secretary Almendras is willing to enlighten Representative Palmones so that
he will not be kept in the dark about the energy situation in Mindanao or to
make him appear myopic or blind to the actions taken by Secretary Almendras in
dealing with the Mindanao power situation," Lacierda said.
But Casiño said that instead of putting the blame on everybody except the
President, the Palace should admit that they failed to address the problem
because they relied on the private sector to solve it for them.
"The problem is not lack of knowledge but how the administration approached
the problem," Casiño said.
"They expected the private sector to solve the power crisis for them since it
was the administration's plan to privatize the generation and distribution of
power in Mindanao.
"The President should not only admit that he had neglected the power crisis.
He should also admit that his friends wanted to acquire the power plants in
Mindanao and the government did not lift a finger while the power crisis was
lingering" because that would favor the private companies.
"The Lopezes, the Aboitizes, the Ayalas and the Sys who are now into power
business in Mindanao are all friends of the President. And they all want to
acquire the government-owned power plants."
Casiño said the President should immediately intervene and take drastic
action to solve the power crisis in Mindanao.
House Deputy Speaker Jesus Crispin Remulla said that if, indeed, the
President's men kept him in the dark, then they all should consider resigning.
"Either they resign or the President should fire all of them for keeping him
in the dark," Remulla said.
On Tuesday, Almendras took full responsibility for the ongoing power shortage
but said 120 megawatts of capacity would be added by April 9.
"We assume full responsibility. I am not going to blame anyone," Almendras
told reporters.
"We are not passing the blame on anyone. We have been doing what we can
possibly do."
Almendras also denied that Mindanao was suffering up to 15-hour power
outages, saying the rolling blackouts lasted only one to two hours.
Even if he had billions of pesos to deal with the problem, it would take time
to build the needed power plants.
Almendras also rejected calls for his resignation.
"Why will I resign because of this? I have proof that we have done what we
[could]. It just so happens that we don't hold all the solutions."
Earlier, Palmones accused Almendras of misleading and misguiding the
President on the power situation in Mindanao.
Also on Tuesday, two senators agreed to a proposal to grant President Aquino
emergency powers to address the Mindanao crisis, a move that the opposition
dismissed as unnecessary.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Senator Francis Escudero agreed
with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV's proposal, but said safeguards should be in
place to prevent any abuse in the implementation of reforms and remedial action
to address the rotating blackouts on the island.
Sotto said the emergency powers must be "focused solely" on the power crisis.
With Alena Mae Flores, Maricel Cruz, John Anthony Concepcion
and Joyce Pangco Pañares
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved
PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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