House resolution on Noy emergency powers out this month

MANILA, Philippines - The chairman of the House committee on energy, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, confirmed that lawmakers would likely come out with the joint resolution within the month granting President Aquino emergency powers to deal with a power crisis in Luzon next summer.

“We have already set a timetable to get this over and done with this October,” Umali told reporters in a weekly breakfast forum of a group of native Oriental Mindoreños at the Marco Polo Hotel in Pasig City yesterday morning.

“As early as last week, we have already set a timeline. That we will come up with a joint House resolution, a House version, that we will present it to the plenary so we will discuss it in two to three hearings. By the 22nd (of October), I’ll move for a vote,” Umali said.

“I think majority of us in the House committee will approve,” Umali said.

Umali stressed that the resolution will set a time duration for the effectivity of the emergency powers to be granted the President.

“This joint resolution will only be effective in the limited duration of the summer months of 2015,” Umali said.

Umali shared that the specifics have yet to be hammered out in the next hearings as the data and figures being given by Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jericho Petilla is still changing.

“The DOE has been consistent in asking for 300 megawatts,” he shared.

However, he said that the period for the emergency powers was changing.