DOE to Arroyo: Declare power crisis in Mindanao

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes has asked President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to declare a power crisis in Mindanao, the Philippines’ second largest island, in connection with the worsening power shortage there, a GMA Flash Report said Sunday night. The report said Reyes pitched the recommendation in light of the continuous decrease in the water level in hydro-electric power plants, which are the primary sources of energy of the island region. Reyes was quoted as saying that the recommendation was agreed upon in a meeting with Energy officials, local government units and businessmen in Mindanao. Mindanao has been experiencing rotating brownouts for days, with some lasting for eight hours. In Malacañang, presidential deputy spokesperson Gary Olivar, said the President would give “utmost consideration" to the recommendation. “Secretary Reyes' recommendation will be given the utmost consideration by the President," he said as he noted that the power problem in Mindanao is serious since it has the biggest power deficit in the country. Reyes, a former military general, was among those who helped President Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001 when, as the Armed Forces chief then, he withdrew his support to then President Joseph Estrada who was then accused of corruption.

Automated elections Emergency powers include the ability to enter into negotiated contracts, or those that do not have to pass through biddings because of the urgency of the situation. At a hearing at the House of Representatives last February 18, an official from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said the effects of El Niño are expected to bring an energy shortage of some 144 megawatts (mW) in Mindanao. “In Mindanao, because of the effect of the El Niño, there is not enough power coming from the hydroplant so we have deficiency or shortage of power in May," Carlito Claudio, NGCP deputy assistant chief technical officer said during a House committee on energy hearing on the issue. No power shortage is expected for Luzon and Visayas in May, he said. Power shortages during the May elections have raised fears that the country’s first nationwide, fully-automated polls may be disrupted. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has assured that the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines – the technology that will be used to count and transmit votes – have back-up batteries that can last for 16 hours. Dry spell As of February 17, the dry spell has resulted to some P3.7 billion losses in agriculture, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA). The bigger picture would be known once the harvest starts on March 15. Olivar said government expects the losses in the first half of the year due to El Niño to be offset by the ongoing global economic recovery, which will pull up exports and overseas deployment and remittances. Olivar said President Arroyo is studying whether to sign into law the bill that seeks to expand and develop water districts as a long-term remedy to the water. The bill, which is pending Arroyo’s approval, exempts the country’s 478 local water districts from income tax so that they could use the amount to expand water services coverage and provide safe and clean water in the provinces, cities and municipalities. Local Water Utilities Authority chairman Prospero Pichay Jr. has endorsed the signing of the bill into law. Olivar said Arroyo is getting inputs from LWUA, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, National Water Resources Board and other concerned agencies. “It seems like a good bill on the face of it. We will have to look at funding requirements and how will it fit into the overall package of measures that we will do. Hopefully there will be no overlap or conflict," Olivar said. - KBK, GMANews.TV