Aquino cites Petilla’s ‘remarkable work’

President Aquino with Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time since rejecting Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla’s resignation, President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday personally praised his efforts in the restoration of power in areas devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

“Many of our countrymen would still be suffering the effects of a power shortage had it not been for the remarkable work of Energy Secretary (Carlos Jericho) Icot Petilla and the industry players and other stakeholders, who stayed up long nights to ensure that power was restored in all affected areas at the soonest possible time,” Aquino said during a groundbreaking ceremony for a power plant in Batangas.

Petilla handed over his resignation letter to Aquino, a day after Christmas for failing to restore the energy in all typhoon-hit areas. He had promised to energize Leyte, his hometown, and other affected provinces by December 24 or resign from his post.

However, Aquino rejected his resignation. The Palace later said Aquino recognized his efforts, which resulted in the restoration of power in 317 out of 320 towns.

During Aquino’s speech on Tuesday, he said the effect of “Yolanda” on Visayas should serve as a lesson. He said the experience meant that greater measures were needed to adapt to the effects of climate change, including the reinforcing of the country’s power supply and a shift to more efficient forms of energy generation.

“Yolanda most prominently impaired major geothermal power plants in Leyte. The combined generation capacity of the plants went from 482 megawatts to zero, which resulted in a power deficit in the region,” Aquino said.

The President said the power outage hampered recovery efforts, cut communication lines and affected operations of hospitals, among others.

If not for Petilla and the other actors in the energy sector, the lack of electricity would continue to cripple the productivity of affected communities, Aquino said.

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