RESEARCH group IBON on Friday said big business groups stand to benefit from the proposed joint resolution that seeks to grant President Aquino special power to deal with the anticipated power crisis next year.
IBON, in a news statement, expressed concern that the real intention of granting emergency powers may be to promote the interests of big power firms whose projects have been delayed or mothballed because of regulatory and other issues.
According to IBON, one of the possible beneficiaries of emergency powers is the Aboitiz-Pangilinan group, which controls the planned 600-megawatt Subic coal-fired power plant.
In 2012 the Supreme Court issued a Writ of Kalikasan against the coal plant, while the Court of Appeals eventually invalidated its environmental compliance certificate (ECC) in 2013.
The proposed resolution states compliance to ECC and other requirements shall be deferred until the completion of the power project. As such, emergency powers could be used to revive the Subic coal power plant despite the judiciary’s prior decisions, IBON warned.
The research group also stressed that the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) has already been implemented in the Visayas and Mindanao without requiring presidential emergency powers.
“In fact, Energy Secretary Jericho [L.] Petilla was already broaching the idea of using ILP in Luzon as early as January this year. The idea then was to mitigate the impact of price spikes in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market. There was no mention of needing emergency powers for the President,” IBON noted.
The committee on energy of the House of Representatives has recently approved on first reading Joint Resolution 21, which authorizes the President to secure additional generating capacity through the ILP.
The group reiterated that instead of emergency powers, Congress should devote its time in crafting a law that will replace Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira).
IBON blamed the Epira not just for the insufficient power supply, but also for the steep rates of electricity in
the country.
“The country should not entrust to the private sector the power industry because of its strategic role in development and the people’s quality of living,” IBON added.