DAVAO CITY, Philippines?Sarangani Governor Miguel Dominguez said the declaration of a state of calamity in Mindanao ?will just reinforce the moves of the local government units to mitigate the impact of the El Niño.?

?We?re been going around town to see the actual effects on farmers, etc. We?ll declare state of calamity in the province next week after completion of the report. We can?t declare without basis,? Dominguez said.

Dominguez said for a short-term solution, the national government should buy power generator sets to meet Mindanao?s power demand.

Gabriela Partylist Rep. Luz Ilagan, however, questioned the declaration.

?Why this declaration when there is a bigger crisis in Isabela or Tuguegarao, which are hardest hit by El Niño? Why in Mindanao when sectors are moving to solve the problems? Is she experimenting with Mindanao again, testing the waters for a nationwide declaration?? Ilagan asked.

In Cagayan de Oro City, Mayor Constantino Jaraula said ?although there is a chance for abuse,? people should ?assume good faith? in the President.

Earlier in Davao City, Vicente Lao, chair of the Mindanao Business Council and vice-chair of the Mindanao Energy Power Alliance (Mepa), said the Agus and Pulangi Complex was already in such a critical state that even the rain expected to come in June will not be able to remedy it.

?With the way things are going now, the whole Agus plant will shut down and it will cause the whole of the Mindanao grid to collapse. And that will be 45 days from now. And if that happens, there will be no power during the election,? said Lao.

Lao also countered the claim that the energy problem of Mindanao will be over once the rain comes in June. He said the problem that Mindanao is facing now is worse than what it had in 1990 and 1998. Lao said the business sector appears to have been given the responsibility for solving the power crisis.

His group has even come up with recommendations to save power, one of which calls on major power consumers to use their own power generators instead of sourcing power from the distribution utilities.

Lao said the ?fastest way to solve the problem is to bring the power barges from Luzon to Mindanao.?

?The problem of Luzon is not of the same intensity as the problem of Mindanao. Luzon has Malampaya,? he said.

But Froilan Tampico, President of the National Power Corporation, said bringing in additional power barges will be too costly.

Lao, however, said the government must explore this option.

Reports from Jeffrey M. Tupas, Judy Quiros, Aquiles Z. Zonio, JB Deveza, Inquirer Mindanao