Calling it as just a “stop-gap measure,” the Kidapawan City-Local Council of Women (KC-LCW) said the solution is “palliative and an added burden for the consumers” especially the women sector whom, it said, shoulder the brunt of household budgeting.
By DANILDA L. FUSILERO
Davao Today
KIDAPAWAN CITY, Cotabato, Philippines – An aggrupation of 34 women organizations here rejected the government’s plan of either procuring or renting modular generator sets to stop the recurring daily rotational brownouts.
Calling it as just a “stop-gap measure,” the Kidapawan City-Local Council of Women (KC-LCW) said the solution is “palliative and an added burden for the consumers” especially the women sector whom, it said, shoulder the brunt of household budgeting.
In a manifesto, the KC-LCW said that because generators are diesel-fed, it will surely increase power rates which could trigger a domino effect on the supply and demand of diesel fuels. It added that the solution is a clear contradiction to the goal of reducing dependence on imported energy sources.
The group has instead asserted their claim for the city’s preferential rights of the 25-percent emergency load dispatch from the two Mt. Apo Geothermal plants which generate a total of 104 MW.
“We are just claiming our rights. In times of crises, that load dispatch rightfully belongs to Kidapawan City,” Sr. Lalyn Macahilo, president of KC-LCW, told davaotoday.com.
Section 6 of the Department of Energy (DOE) Act of 1992 said that “in times of energy shortage, the energy generating facility shall prioritize up to 25 percent of its contracted or available capacity which shall be delivered to appropriate electric utility for distribution to the official settlement, to relevant LGU (local government unit) or host region in the following order of radiating benefit…”
Attempts to claim the said load dispatch were pushed by the LGUs, consumer groups and the business sector since last year.
In April 2012, progressive groups under the Makabayan People’s Coalition blocked the entry roads towards the Mt. Apo as they protested the rotational brownouts, causing paralysis, albeit partial, on the operations of the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corporation (EDC).
A criminal case was also filed by Kidapawan City Vice Mayor Joseph Evangelista to claim the 25 percent load dispatch but it was dismissed by the local court because of technicalities. The complaint was re-channeled to the DOE for administrative intervention.
Engr. Godofredo Homez, manager of the Cotabato Electric Company (Cotelco), revealed that since the onset of the year, power supply contracted by Cotelco from the National Power Corporation-Power Sector Assets Liabilities and Management (NPC-Psalm) has decreased by 30 percent.
He projected that the power supply situation will surely aggravate come May this year with only 8 MW supply from the NPC-Psalm. He said there would be an overwhelming disparity from Cotelco’s peak demand of 28 MW.
Cotelco has been augmenting its power supply through a contract of 8 MW from the Aboitiz-owned Therma Marine, Inc. and its remarketing efforts of unused power supply in the grid for months now. It however admitted that the recent remarketing at the grid “is no longer dependable” after most key cities and provinces of Mindanao expressed similar problem on power shortage, coupled with the restoration of power circuits in areas previously affected by typhoons Sendong, Pablo and Crising.
“It’s very ironic that big private power corporations like the EDC are being tolerated to rake in profits while the women are heavily-burdened of daily rotational brownouts,” said Sr. Macahilo.
Kidapawan City has been suffering from six to eight hours of daily power interruptions despite its hosting of two geothermal plants.
No to Epira
With the power crisis, this group of women has joined the growing number of sectors calling for the junking of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (Epira Law).
“The law’s primal objective of ensuring quality, reliable, secured and affordable power supply tuned to be a failure,” said Sr. Macahilo, adding that Epira “failed to protect public interest affected by continually-increasing power rates, appalling services and privatization schemes prejudicial to public interest.”
Ruby Padilla-Sison, former provincial chairperson of women’s group Gabriela, echoed Sr. Macahilo’s statement as she accused the government’s Public-Private Partnership program of undermining the rights of power consumers.
“In a golden platter, the government is offering big private power corporations tax holidays and exceptions, and installment packages, among others,” she told davaotoday.com.
The KC-LCW said that the Epira Law failed to intensify its promotion and utilization of the country’s sustainable and renewable sources of energy.
It cited the government’s silence over the proposal of Makabayan senatorial bet Teddy Casiño to put up a million solar roofs, a move that would invest on indigenous and renewable sources of energy.
Current Senator Chiz Escudero who recently visited Mindanao has also urged the government to upgrade its hydro-power generation, tapping Mindanao’s total hydro-power potential of 2,519.29 MW.
The group claimed that while the Epira promised promotion of indigenous power sources, “the government lacks the mechanisms and political will to truly prioritize rehabilitation and installation of hydro-power plants and other sources of renewable energy.” (Danilda L. Fusilero/davaotoday.com)
