Manila Times
Granting emergency powers to President Benigno Aquino will not solve a looming energy shortage, House leaders said as conveners of a consumer group warned that granting the president extra powers is “dangerous.”
House Majority leader Neptali Gonzales of Mandaluyong City (Metro Manila) and Rep. Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro noted that there are other ways to address the power crisis that could hit the country next year.
The president last Monday asked Congress to grant him emergency powers to act on power problems that officials said could be felt by March or April next year.
“Aside from emergency powers, there are other provisions of the Epira law that can address this. Has the Department of Energy (DoE) conducted inspections of power plants and told its owners that at no point in the three-month period next year should they conduct maintenance work because there is a greater demand for power supply? As for the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission), are they doing their job which is to look if there is a cartel of power supply and impose penalty on those liable if there (is) such (cartel)?” Gonzales said.
“There are a lot of provisions under the Epira that should have been done but unfortunately, were not done. That is their mandate. The grant of emergency powers is not the solution. But even without it, the DOE and ERC have the capacity to address the situation,” he added. Epira is the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.
The president wants Congress to grant him emergency powers through a joint resolution so that the government can enter into contract agreements with power generators.
Under Epira, the government is banned from entering into contracts with power producers unless both Houses of Congress grant the president emergency powers to do so.
