Drilon on emergency powers: We can’t rush into this

Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—“We  know  the  urgency but we  can’t   rush into this,” so said Senate President  Franklin Drilon of the  proposed emergency powers being  requested by President Benigno Aquino  III.

“On the timetable, it is impossible to have it by the end of September, that is impossible because we don’t even have the draft joint resolution,” Drilon  told  reporters  on Tuesday.

“We don’t know the parameters of the authority being requested. We know the urgency, but we can’t rush into this.”

“We will work on as fast as we can. I think the committee on energy chaired by Senator (Serge) Osmeña will meet on Wednesday next week,” Drilon said.

The Senate leader  issued the same  statements during  the   hearing  of the Senate committee on finance   on the proposed budget of the Department  of Energy.

Drilon informed  the committee that the Senate  was  in receipt  of  the  President’s letter,  asking  for a joint  resolution  that will  grant him authority to contract  additional generating capacity amid the  projected  power shortage  in Luzon next year.

But he said the  letter was too “broad” that he asked Petilla, who attended  the hearing,  about the parameters of the  authority  that the President was  requesting.

“You know  we have barely five session days before we go on break  on the 25th, or 26th…I doubt it very much whether or not we can come up with any joint resolution that you have  requested  or the President has requested  in five session days. We do not even have a committee   hearing much less  is there any indication of  the parameters of the authority that the President is requesting,” said Drilon.

“As I said, I received   a letter yesterday, it was so broadly  worded. There was even no draft of the proposed joint resolution, we don’t know what are  the authority being requested, what are the limits of this authority, etc.  We would have preferred if a draft of the joint resolution was enclosed which would already indicate the  parameters of the authority requested but unfortunately there is none,” he added.

Senator  Francis “Chiz” Escudero, chairman of the committee, also inquired about the President’s letter  that was sent both to the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Escudero particularly asked how much  the additional  generating capacity  would cost the government and where the  money  would be sourced.

Responding  to  Escudero’s  queries, Petilla said the estimated cost of the additional  generating capacity was  estimated at P6 billion, which will be sourced from the Malampaya funds.

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