Trillanes: PNoy needs limited emergency powers to address power crisis

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday reiterated the need to grant President Benigno Aquino III emergency powers to solve the energy crisis that has caused repeated brownouts within Metro Manila, saying his proposed bill will allow Aquino to approve the creation of power plants quickly.

“Umaabot sa mahigit dalawang taon ang pagkukuha pa lang ng permits o clearances, mahigit 100 ang pipirma. Every step, iba ang nambibitin, iba ang nanghihingi. Pinapahirapan ang electric companies. Masho-short circuit itong mga problema kung mapapasa ang emergency powers para sa pagreresolve ng energy crisis,” Trillanes said in an interview with Radio dzBB’s Nimfa Ravelo.

In January, Trillanes authored Senate Bill No. 2051, under which President Aquino shall be granted the power to enter into negotiated contracts for the construction, repair, rehabilitation, improvement and/or maintenance of power plants, projects and facilities whenever necessary for the national welfare and in the public interest.

Trillanes explained that the proposed measure is similar to the legislation that allowed former President Fidel V. Ramos to fast-track the construction of power plants.

“Napatupad na yan nung Ramos time, na-lessen yung brownouts agad. Kaya naman we were very specific sa ating bil,” he said.

“Ang problema kasi ngayon, yung supply ng kuryente, nagtatapat sa demand. Konting ma-perwisyo ang planta, o kaya breakdown, magro-rotational brownout agad. Pero pag dumami ang mga planta, may surplus ka na, may sasalo, magtutuloy tuyloy ang supply ng kuryente,” he added.

Energy officials to blame

Yet even as he proposed granting Aquino emergency powers to deal with the power crisis, Trillanes blamed Department of Energy officials for their alleged inaction.

“Ang ating energy officials, kitang kita naman nila yung problema, pero wala naman silang ginagawa. Si dating Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, wala namang ginawa, kaya pinagreresign ko yan noon eh. Wala naman nangyari, walang mga plano,” Trillanes said.

Almendras, who is now Cabinet secretary, was replaced by Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla.

Trillanes also has gripes with how Energy Secretary Petilla is handling the crisis.

“Ang problema ni Petilla, dahil sa Supreme Court Writ of Amparo, di makagalaw yung mga planta. Ang maririnig mo lang mga paliwanag, kung bakit sila pumalpak. Pero yung results, wala kang makikita,” Trillanes said, adding that as energy adviser to the president, it is Petilla’s job to convince Aquino to use emergency powers to resolve the energy crisis.

“Si Secretary Petilla, bilang adviser niya sa energy sector, kailangan kalampagin niya si PNoy, na sabihin niyang ‘wala na akong makitang solusyon.. maliban dito,’” Trillanes said.

However, the lawmaker acknowledged that it might be difficult to convince Aquino to embrace emergency powers, even in a limited scope.

“Si PNoy, isa rin siyang may aversion sa emergency powers, iisipin niya martial law na naman. Eh para sa kaniya nga yan, para di siya sinisisi ng taumbayan na wala siyang ginagawa. [Alam kong si] Aquino, meron siyang non-negotiables. Ayaw niya chacha (charter change) dahil sa Constitution ito ng nanay niya, ayaw ng emergency powers, kasi nilabanan nila ang martial law. Pero di yun dapat eh, kasi dapat isipin niya yung ikabubuti ng taumbayan,” Trillanes said.

'Dictatorial propensity'

But at least one lawmaker has opposed Trillanes’ idea to grant Aquino emergency powers, even on a limited scale. Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said it would be dangerous to give Aquino emergency powers due to his “dictatorial propensity.”

“It is very dangerous to grant emergency powers to anyone with a dictatorial propensity like President Aquino as can be seen with his usurpation of Congress’ power and now threatening the Supreme Court when it declared the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional,” said Colmenares.

Colmenares also reminded the public that the emergency powers granted to Ramos when he was president did more harm than good, contrary to what Trillanes says.

“In fact, we are almost in the same situation when then President Fidel V. Ramos was granted emergency powers but the same were used instead to allow the entry of favored independent power producers (IPP) to construct power plants within 24 months.  Ramos also approved onerous supply contracts that guaranteed the government would buy whatever power the IPPs produced, forcing consumers to pay for electricity they did not even use,” he said.

But Trillanes brushed aside Colmenares’ misgivings, saying Aquino’s proposed emergency powers will be regulated.

“'Wag na nating intindihin yung mga maka-kaliwang grupo, may phobia sila sa emergency powers eh. Maliwanag naman yung emergency powers na ibibigay natin sa pangulo. Hanggang dito lang. Kasi kung sa 2016 pa sisimulan, aabutin ng three years magpatayo ng isang coal power plant, masyadong matagal,” he said, adding that there are a lot of energy companies who want to invest in the country, but are hindered by red tape.

“Maraming interesado magtayo ng power plants, but because of the complicated system, nakakawalang gana. In fact, naidentify na nila yung mga spots kung saan maglalagay ng plants, yun nga lang, yung red tape,” he said. — JDS, GMA News