Emergency powers for Aquino eyed to address Mindanao energy shortage

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang is looking into the proposal by some lawmakers that President Aquino be given emergency powers to effectively address the shortage of electricity in Mindanao, a spokesperson for the Chief Executive said Tuesday.

Abigail Valte, nonetheless, said that Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and other stakeholders are already working on the power crisis.

“We will have to study the proposal when filed in the Lower House. As of the present time, the power situation is being addressed by the Department of Energy with the stakeholders in Mindanao,” Valte said in a text message on Tuesday afternoon.

Valte made the remarks in the wake of proposals from administration lawmakers for Congress to provide the President with the necessary emergency powers to address the power situation in Mindanao more swiftly.

Aquino over the weekend asked the public in Mindanao to have more patience as the government moves to address the power shortage that might last for at least two more years.

“We admit it, the problem was neglected,” Aquino said in a speech during the birthday celebration of Cavite Representative Erineo Malicsi on Sunday night.

Aquino said the Agus hydroelectric power plant in Iligan City was built almost 60 years ago. He said the power plant was only expected to be in good operating form for just 30 years.

“I did think that if 30 years ago, when I was still a college student, they had fixed this problem, then I would not have this problem,” the President said.

Rehabilitation of the power plant would cost P2.6 billion and would take 30 months to complete.

Aquino added that two coal-fired power plants would also be built over the next two years to provide for the needs of Mindanao.

Before the rehabilitation of the hydroelectric power plants and the completion of the coal-fired power plants, Mindanao would have to do with more expensive electricity generated by diesel-fueled power barges.

“If we don’t want brownouts, we will have to accept this until the construction of the two coal-fired power plants is finished, and that will take two years,” he said.

In a briefing in Malacañang last week, the President said there are now already two power barges in Mindanao but that only one contributes power to the grid in the area.

Asked how power distributors could be convinced to buy more expensive electricity generated by the power barges, Aquino said, “(They) will have to share the burden.”