No crisis powers for Arroyo over Mindanao blackouts
MANILA, Philippines--Speaker Prospero Nograles on Saturday ruled out calling a special session of Congress to address the power crisis in Mindanao, saying that none of the House members had been able to commit themselves to such a session.
“It’s final. Most congressmen may not be able to attend,” Nograles said.
He said President Macapagal-Arroyo had also reconsidered her plan to call Congress to a special session to address the power crisis in Mindanao.
The President needs congressional approval to declare an emergency in Mindanao, which would empower her to speedily send new generators to the region.
On Friday, Nograles and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said they were willing to call a special session but expressed doubt they could muster a quorum as many legislators seeking elective office in the May election were in the thick of campaigning.
But some legislators, particularly from Mindanao, did not agree with Nograles that a special session could not be called.
Legislators should set aside politics to address the power crisis, said Deputy Speaker Simeon Datumanong of Maguindanao.
“The President’s emergency powers will certainly help in quickly solving the energy crisis,” he said in a statement.
Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Antonio Cerilles said Congress should hold a special session to discuss the granting of special powers to the President.
“Mindanao is now suffering from the effects of El Niño. We should not waste time in acting on the energy crisis and other problems brought about by the dry spell,” Cerilles said.
Bulacan Rep. Reylina Nicolas said it was the duty of all members of Congress to attend a special session since they were considered public officials until June 30. She said she would attend the special session if one was called.
Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri, who is from Bukidnon, warned that the entire Mindanao could be plunged into darkness everyday if no immediate action is taken.
“We can’t wait for a month or the whole of Mindanao will suffer brownouts every day and thus, affect the economy there as well as the peace and order situation,’’ he said.
Zubiri said he had spoken to some opposition senators who told him they were willing to attend a special session if the agenda is limited only to tackling the power crisis in Mindanao.
He said he was also told by Palace officials that presidential advisers were still deciding whether to go ahead and call a special session given the unforthcoming attitude of some congressional leaders.
No need
Opposition leaders are opposed to giving emergency powers to Ms Arroyo to solve the power crisis in Mindanao. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. yesterday reiterated that Ms Arroyo did not need such powers to address the crisis.
Yesterday, deputy spokesperson Ricardo Saludo clarified that the government never asked for emergency powers for the President.
Saludo said what the Department of Energy sought was for the President to declare a power crisis in Mindanao so she could invoke a provision in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) that will lift a prohibition for the government through the National Power Corp., the state power generator, to return to the business of generating power.
“To comply with the law, we need Congress’ approval so we can invoke Section 71 of Epira that would allow the government to contract additional [generating] capacity,’’ he said in an interview with the state-run dzRB radio.
Leasing gensets
The DOE has recommended that in order to plug the crisis, the Napocor be allowed to lease modular generation sets that would provide 160 megawatts of electricity for Mindanao.
With her statement that she was adopting Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes’ recommendations, the President has already declared a power crisis in Mindanao, Saludo said.
The “next step is to wait for Congress to enact the procedures” in going about leasing the modular generation sets for Mindanao, Saludo said.
Asked if there were options other than those which would require Congress to hold a special session, Saludo said there were but “these were not big enough to end the brownouts.’’
“The bulk of the gap needed to be filled will come from the 160 megawatts of power (from the modular gensets),’’ he said.
Quorum problem
Earlier yesterday, in an interview on Vice President Noli de Castro’s “Para Sa Iyo, Bayan” televised radio program, Nograles also expressed his concern about not being able to muster a quorum in the House.
Zubiri, who was also interviewed on the program, said the Senate leadership, meaning he and Enrile, was prepared to hold a special session in order to help Mindanao.
Zubiri said the people of Mindanao were “furious” about the brownouts that they have been experiencing since last month, lasting for up to six hours a day.
Nograles noted it would be quite easy for the Senate to produce 13 senators for a special session but the House has to have at least 136 congressmen to form a quorum.
136 warm bodies needed
“We need 136 warm bodies and I cannot assure that,” Nograles told De Castro.
“The third-term members are probably already on vacation and the reelectionists are campaigning,” he said, adding that he had already relayed this concern to Enrile.
Another concern was the limited time frame and the possibility of a long debate on the issue, he said.
Reyes, who was also a guest on the program, clarified that the government was not seeking emergency powers for the President to address the power crisis but only special powers for the state to generate additional power capacity.
Earth Hour
Reyes urged consumers to observe power-saving tips at home or at work to reduce demand, especially during peak hours.
On March 27, Reyes said the country will join the rest of the world in observing “Earth Hour” by turning off electricity from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with the SM Mall of Asia as the staging point.
No comments:
Post a Comment