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Ruffy Magbanua

DID we hear it right? The Department of Energy  (DOE) is telling us that there is no guarantee for a blackout-free elections.

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On one side, the Mindanao Development Authority or  Minda is informing us the opposite:  Mindanao will absolutely be blackout-free.

And here is the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)  saying Mindanao faces a looming power grid collapse.

Well, it’s not at all surprising to hear  different, confusing tunes these days when the country is gearing up for national elections come May this year.

The game of lies and deception is out for the taking.

We’ve heard these see-saw-kind-of-press releases before. And this passing-the-buck-kind-of-game comes every time we hold elections.

But what is really disturbing and alarming is the contradicting statements made public by these agencies on the state of the power supply in Mindanao.

First, isn’t is the DOE,  being the lead power agency of government, has the mandate to “improve the quality of life of the Filipino by formulating and implementing policies and programs to ensure sustainable, stable, secure, sufficient and accessible energy”?

Now, to tell the electorate that it does not guarantee for a blackout-free election, then I might suggest this to DOE leadership: revise your mandate, or better still, declare yourself redundant.

DOE adds further: “In pursuit of this mission, we commit to render efficient service with utmost integrity and professionalism.”

If DOE can’t guarantee for a blackout-free election, then what’s the use of flaunting these words: “… to render efficient service?’?

Second, it’s comforting to note that Minda has this positive outlook. Even if Minda knows pretty well the power situation, at least, it shunned away from scary announcements.

With the coming operations of the newest 300-mw coal-fired power plant in Davao, Minda is assuring the public of a sustainable power supply in Mindanao sans any untoward incident like the anticipated bombings as NGCP has said in its recent advertisement that saw print both in national and local dailies.

Third, NGCP is now into an information frenzy, adjusting its alert level to “yellow” a result of a  gasping power reserves brought about by a series of bombings that took the country’s sole transmission operator to panic by soliciting support from the public.

But then, let’s revisit NGCP’s mandate. Isn’t it the duty of NGCP to “contribute to the nation’s social and economic development and satisfying our stakeholders’ needs by efficiently developing and adequately operating the power grid to provide reliable electricity transmission service”?

If we are to take a closer look at NGCP’s mandate, it appears that it has a commitment to the Filipino people to “provide reliable power transmission service.” In operation for over five years now, NGCP, with its battle cry “stronger transmission for a stronger nation” has had its acid tests from Day 1, and up to this day.

NGCP has been hounded by right-of-way and easement problems, not to include the corporate infighting that turned into temporary nightmares among the people behind the country’s only power transmission operator, a creation of “Epira.”

The time has come to challenge the next generation of lawmakers to amend the Epira.  Foreigners have no business running our power facilities. Right now, NGCP  has the Chinese sharing the corporate cake.

Do we need to remind our lawmakers that the country’s power transmission facilities are considered national security?

(Ruffy Magbanua is a former journalist, and once served Napocor, Transco and NGCP as communications specialist. He is now the chair of the Movement for a Brownout-Free Mindanao.)

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