Group: Blanket emergency power to PNoy dangerous

MANILA, Philippines - Consumer group People Opposed to Unwarranted Electricity Rates (Power) on Wednesday said that the emergency powers asked by President Benigno Aquino III from Congress to solve the looming energy crisis appears “vague, all-encompassing and therefore prone to abuse and corruption.”

 

Power convenor Teddy Casiño said the letter request sent by the president to both chambers of Congress lacked the details that are crucial in such a request for additional powers under Section 71 of Electric Power Industry Reform Act.

 

“We are perplexed why the president did not even indicate the amount of additional capacity to be contracted out, how it will be acquired, the expected cost to taxpayers and consumers, nor the period involved. Without these things, there can be no intelligent debate on their proposal,” Casiño said.

 

“It's as if the president wants blanket powers even more than what Congress gave former President  Fidel Ramos before,” he added.

 

The group is apprehensive that giving the Aquino blanket powers to negotiate with private contractors will result in expensive and onerous supply contracts as what happened under the Ramos administration.

 

Instead of granting the president emergency powers, the group is pushing for the immediate rehabilitation and upgrade of existing assets of the National Power Corporation (Napocor) like the Malaya Thermal Plant and several power barges and hydroelectric plants in the country.

 

It is also pushing for changes in the country's power industry that would allow Napocor to build, own and run publicly owned power plants to address the supply shortfall and ensure long-term stability in prices and supply.