Senate tackles Aquino request for emergency powers

ENERGY Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate committee on energy convened on Thursday morning to tackle President Benigno Aquino III’s request for authority to address the looming energy shortage in the summer of 2015.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla faced the committee, headed by Senator Sergio Osmeña III, to thresh out the details of a joint resolution authorizing the President to contract additional generating capacity.

The joint resolution is in accordance with Section 71 of Republic Act no. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

Petilla earlier mentioned the need for emergency powers to address the projected shortage. Aquino later announced that he would be requesting Congress for the joint resolution but Palace officials claimed it should not be considered emergency powers and instead be referred to as a request for authority.

Aquino claimed that the shortage may be as low as 300 megawatts (MW) to as high as 1,000MW.

He then sent a letter to both houses of Congress for the enactment of the said joint resolution though no draft has been forwarded.

The House of Representatives said it has yet to draft the joint resolution while the Senate asked Palace for a draft.

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