Belmonte assures Aquino: You’ll get special powers

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.: Assurance INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Monday assured President Aquino he would be granted special powers to deal with the projected power crisis next year as soon as Congress resumes sessions next week after a three-week break.

“The approval will be done as soon as we reconvene. We must avoid even occasional and short duration brownouts. We want to rely more on the ILP (Interruptible Load Program), but are amenable to a limited resort to the other options,” Belmonte told reporters.

The House has up to Oct. 31—when its members go on a short recess—to approve the joint resolution allowing the President to exercise special powers under Section 71 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act to resolve the projected power shortage next year.

But Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares noted that the fine print of the joint resolution said that the President would be allowed to enter into negotiated contracts to acquire or rent additional power capacities without the mandatory public bidding.

“In other words, it is the legalization of sweetheart deals and take or pay contracts, it will also be an excuse for government to use taxpayer money to rehabilitate, repair and improve plants that are owned by the project sector. The budget for these emergency powers will also be sourced from the Malampaya funds and inevitably from the consumers through the universal charges,” said Colmenares.

The draft resolution allows the President to enter into a contract for as much as 500 megawatts of additional capacity (with some inputs from power generators in the ILP with a minimum capacity of 10 MW) up to July 31 next year.

With Congress expected to start debates on the special powers next week, Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III proposed that Congress limit the President’s special powers to the Malampaya gas funds.

Albano noted that Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla’s main solution to the energy crisis was “financial,” as he planned to lease or buy power generators worth from P6 billion to P10 billion.–Gil Cabacungan