EDITORIAL - State of emergency

With some parts of Luzon still waiting for electricity to be restored a week after Typhoon Glenda struck, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla has warned of an emergency or crisis in the power sector in the summer of 2015.

Petilla is proposing emergency powers for President Aquino to enable the government to respond effectively to acute shortages in 2015. Lawmakers, who must approve such special powers, have expressed openness to the proposal. Malacañang is also considering suggestions to convert the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant into a natural gas-fired facility.

The emergency measures must be accompanied by long-term plans to improve the energy situation all over the country. Typhoon Glenda was just a reminder of the instability of power supply in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. In Mindanao, economic development has been held back by the insufficiency of power supply. The power crisis that crippled Metro Manila and Luzon in 1991 at least ended after a year. Mindanao has suffered for years now from daily blackouts lasting several hours.

The country’s unreliable energy supply is also the costliest in Asia after nuclear-powered Japan. Expensive and inadequate electricity is one of the biggest disincentives to investments. While the Philippines is registering the biggest growth in foreign direct investment, the country remains the regional laggard in terms of actual value of FDI. One of the biggest reasons for this is the expensive and unreliable power supply.

Other energy experts have warned of a looming energy crisis as the nation fails to boost power generation capacity to meet the ever-growing needs of the booming population and a strengthening economy. The warning of Petilla about a power crisis – even if he limits his dire forecast to certain periods next year – should spur the administration to give the problem the urgent attention that it needs.