The heat is on in Manila

In a previous column I wrote about a dire warning issued by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) that the power supply in our country is at a “critical stage.” Today, this becomes even more poignant than ever as the hot summer months have truly descended upon us. In what has already been touted as one of the hottest summers in recent history, the thought of roving city power outages becomes even more frightening than before.

While this warning might have felt like an abstract threat to some, I know that it is only a matter of time before it comes to pass. It does not take a genius to see the problem with the supply and demand. There are just too many people demanding power and not enough power to go around. Additionally, some power plants face unplanned emergency shut downs, which will strain supply even further. This included a yellow alert status last week when the contingency reserves fell below the minimum level set by the regulator. While this is worrisome, it does not necessarily mean power outages or blackouts. A red alert means there is a severe power deficiency while a normal alert means there are no deficiencies in supply and reserves.

Summer has always been the time when power demand is, understandably, at its highest. While in the cooler months of December, January, and February many of us can save on our electricity by using fans and enjoying the cool winds outside, during the summer this becomes impossible and stifling heat drives everyone indoors and into the comfort of air-conditioned rooms. Being outside can be downright excruciating and even painful. As I mentioned, this summer is even hotter than the summers of the past and you can feel the heat beating down. Sometimes stepping into a small closed room can feel like walking into a sauna.

According to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), despite the problems concerning power plant shutdowns, there will still be enough power to meet demand throughout the summer. A spokesperson claimed they were transmitting energy supply from all possible sources and will be able to continue to meet demand despite the recent yellow alert. However, even if this is the case, everyone is still advised to be cautious with his or her energy usage. Don’t use up any more electricity than you have to. Shut off or shut down appliances when not in use and whenever possible use energy saving technologies to keep your usage low.

While it is comforting to know that we will be able to keep most of our cooling devices running throughout this stifling summer, it still sheds light on the ongoing power problem in the Philippines. So we made it through this summer, what happens next year or the year after that? If we don’t start addressing our energy situation with a sustainable long-term plan than there will definitely come a point when we can no longer meet the demand and roving brownouts begin happening once again. I really hope we don’t have to wait for that point before talking concrete action.

I mentioned before that this electricity conundrum is just another example of poor resource distribution in the country. We are clearly lacking in proper resource distribution and management, and instead of truly addressing the situation, we just get by while we can and hope for the best. This type of “bahala na” attitude may work for now, but again, it won’t hold up in the long run and pretty soon we’ll all have to deal with shortage. And the shortage won’t necessarily only be in electricity, but also in other important resources like water.

In fact, many of us experienced the water shortage during the recently concluded Holy Week break. While we were definitely grateful to be warned about the impending water shortage on certain days of the break, it was still quite nerve-wracking to have had to prepare for consecutive days without water. I suppose for many of us living in the South, who have had to make do with water tanks and delivery in years past, this was not that bad, but still, I have grown to prefer not having to rely on that.

In the case of the energy situation, I reiterate that I hope at some point soon, the government will map out a comprehensive and sustainable national plan on power plant development. The fact remains that our population is still growing and we have to be prepared for a future where power demand will increase even further. The government needs to work closely with all the agencies involved and plot out a course of action that will get things done and will give them a better buffer when it comes to supply. Power subsidies may also possibly bring down the cost of electricity, which would be a very welcome bonus considering we have the highest rate in Asia.

Overall, I believe that we are being given a chance to prepare for the future and we need to act on it now. It’s sad, but in the Philippines we are incredibly good at not acting until we have no choice. This has been evident in all of the disaster preparedness problems we have had in the past years. When the first real super typhoon hit we were caught off guard and we swore that it would never happen again. Unfortunately, it did happen again. It happened a few more times actually. It took several really bad hits for us to implement disaster plans that actually worked. Why did we have to wait so long? It’s not like we were not aware of the problem. Bad typhoons happen in the Philippines every year and we know we have to put plans in place in case of a big hit, but as we usually do, we waited until we truly had out backs against the wall.

The same can be said for the RH Law. Population control and maternal care have been a problem for years in the country, yet this law could not see the light of day. We had to wait for the problems to truly reach critical mass before solid concrete steps were done to find a solution. At last, the RH Law is finally getting its day (hopefully), but the fact remains, our population is at an all-time high already. Why do we always have to wait for things to reach that point? Isn’t it time we become preventive instead of reactive?

Hopefully when it comes to solving the energy crisis we can do just that. We may not have a lot of time, but we do have some time, so lets use it wisely and do what we can to keep the lights on.