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Letter
writers were busy over the Easter weekend with a number
commenting on our recent articles on the state of the
power sector and the renewed militancy in schools and
factories in certain urban areas.
A
certain Bobby Gadia, who represented himself as a
20-year Napocor veteran, chided me for what he called a
“rush to judgment” when I castigated its current
president, Cyril del Callar, for his seeming inability
to abet the reported short supply of coal and other
fuels for the country’s power plants, which, even as
they are being privatized or covered by power-purchase
agreements, remain the power company’s responsibility.
Gadia
noted that most, if not all, of these questionable
supply arrangements were inherited by del Callar, and he
has limited flexibility to even renegotiate these.
More
than that, Gadia brought to my attention the dated
information on the world’s coal and other fuel supplies,
which I have on hand. He wanted me to bring into
perspective our current predicament the better for the
public and policymakers alike to appreciate the
situation we are facing.
He noted
that the three biggest coal suppliers in the region, and
probably the world—Indonesia, China and Australia—have
all experienced a tightening in their production
resulting from both natural and man-made causes. The
changing weather situation has brought havoc to global
production while the skyrocketing demand for coal and
other fuels, including oil, have made long-term
arrangements virtually impossible.
Said
Gadia: “Indonesian producers are being besieged by
Japanese, Korean and even Chinese companies with offers
far beyond the reach of even the most profitable power
companies in countries such as the Philippines. These
companies are already opening up old coal mines and
depleting reserves in a manner which may cause long-term
damage to their own potentials. Even old coal mines as
far away as the UK, Scotland and Wales are being
reopened as prices skyrocket beyond the producers’
expectations. And with runaway production comes
logistical problems from loading bays to vessels and the
like, making coal as precious to many as gold and other
commodities are right now.”
Gadia
advised that in the face of this supply squeeze, it is
unfair to solely blame del Callar and company for their
seeming inability to stabilize the supply situation.
That may be true, but did not Napocor anticipate these
problems early on?
If it
did, as I assume it did, what was the problem?
Gadia
pointed a finger at the squeeze which the power company
has experienced ever since the passage of the Electric
Power Industry Reform Act (Epira). It appears that
Napocor’s rate increases have been stalled at every turn
by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and even
Malacañang while, at the same time, being asked to
shoulder the supply requirements of every privatization
deal on top of those required by its own plants.
That is
a double, if not a triple, whammy, which even the most
resourceful or creative manager would be hard-pressed to
handle.
There
are a number of other points which Gadia emphasized in
his long letter which I will bring out as we get into
the nitty gritty of the power sector’s continuing woes.
Which brings us to our point: What’s keeping the ERC
from opening up its hearings, and Congress from taking
up the amendments to the Epira?
Sadeka
and the resurgent militancy
Sadeka
is, of course, the pronounced name of the Samahang
Demokratiko ng Kabataan, the twin of the militant youth
organization Kabataang Makabayan (KM), both of which
figured prominently in the historic First Quarter Storm
in the ’70s.
The
organization’s militancy and contributions to the
reshaping of our history and the currents now enveloping
our destiny well into the 21st century is documented in
a book entitled Militant But Groovy which was launched
on March 13.
Our
congratulations to ’70s colleagues Sol and Doods Santos,
Jeepee Perez and all those who labored to put together
what I understand is the first of a series of
publications highlighting the historic events during
that decade and beyond.
It is
well that this kind of recording be done while many of
the players, so to speak, are still alive and kicking to
pay tribute to those who fell along the way in behalf of
our country and people. It is also necessary that those
who actually participated in those momentous events do
the remembering themselves before their views and
actions get revised by people who have other things in
mind.
My only
beef is, why emphasize the groovy? By doing so, it may
just lead to a reactivation of the debate between the
two militant organizations, especially since there has
been a current of thought about KM as the “ungroovy”
group. I just hope that will not be the case.
In any
event, we look forward to having more of these
collections, if only to advise the younger set that
history, including the “search for truth and
accountability,” had its precedents in a far wider and
deeper sense than it is today.
To Sol
and Doods, congrats. . . . |
