Entire Mindanao under mercy of Bangsamoro—Lobregat

MANILA, Philippines—A lawmaker raised the alarm of subjecting Mindanao’s water and power resources under the mercy of the Bangsamoro government upon the creation of a Bangsamoro entity.

During the ad hoc committee hearing in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Zamboanga city Representative Celso Lobregat said the Bangsamoro basic bill  gives so much power to the Moro government to regulate power and water resources.

“The proposed law talks about certain exclusive powers of the Bangsamoro government such as over power generation, transmission, and distribution. That’s why I think many of the congressmen inside and outside the Bangsamoro are now taking a closer look at the bill  because it will not only affect the people and residents of the Bangsamoro, but also people outside of the Bangsamoro, the entire Mindanao,” Lobregat told fellow representatives and members of the government peace panel.

Rep. Celso Lobregat of Zamboanga City. PHOTO from congress.gov.ph

He cited the Agus and Pulangi hydropower plants, supplying 982 megawatts or 50 percent of Mindanao’s power requirement, which may be subjected to the Bangsamoro’s control.

Agus hydropower plant snakes from Lanao lake in Marawi city to Maria Cristina falls in Iligan city. Meanwhile, the Pulangi plant is located in Bukidnon.

“I could not help, historically Mindanao enjoys low power rates and we will depend on ‎inter-governmental relations. Who will decide? The entire Mindanao will be at the mercy of Bangsamoro,” Lobregat added.

According to the bill, the Bangsamoro government can regulate power generation, transmission, and distribution operating exclusively in the Bangsamoro as long as it is not connected to the national transmission grid.

“It shall promote investments, domestic and international, in the power sector industry in the Bangsamoro. Power plants and distribution networks in the Bangsamoro shall be able to interconnect and sell power over the national transmission grid to electric consumers,” the bill said.

If the power plants are connected to the grid, the national and Bangsamoro government should “cooperate and coordinate through the intergovernmental relations mechanism.”

Peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the Bangsamoro may only take control of power plants under their
jurisdiction while inter-government relations may only apply in case of conflict.

Vicente Lao, chairman of the Mindanao Business Council, said the control over water and electricity should be clarified.

“It should be properly monitored. Who will control the utilization of welfare and control of the grid so that we will not have problem in the future.‎ We are now scared, we would like to protect the remaining areas, we want Mindanao to have cheaper power (rates),” Lao said.

The recently submitted Bangsamoro bill seeks to implement the peace pact signed between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which hopes to end decades of Muslim secessionist movement in the region.

Once the bill is passed by Congress, the law must be ratified by a plebiscite for the creation of a Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

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