The Philippine Online Chronicles

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has decided not to call a special session of Congress to address the ongoing power crisis in Mindanao.

Mindanao continues to experience eight- to twelve-hour-long power outages every day because of the drying up of dams used to produce hydroelectric power. The region has traditionally used hydroelectric power for up to half of its power needs.

According to Deputy presidential spokesperson Gary Olivar, the session was junked because the quorum for a special session could not be reached, as many members of the House of Representatives and Senate are out campaigning for the May elections.

“If this [special session] is something that is not possible in any case, then we can do without it. What we cannot do is to simply ignore the problem and wish it would go away, or to finger-point and criticize. That’s not an option for us either," he said.

He added, “If many in the legislative cannot even be bothered to take time off from their campaigning in order to empower the executive to take appropriate action, then the executive has no choice but to soldier on by itself, because the urgency of the country’s problems will neither be stayed nor denied."

“Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes will take care of the details,” President Arroyo told reporters when asked how the energy crisis will be handled now. It was Reyes who originally suggested to the President to declare a power crisis in Mindanao.

“[Reyes will] see how we can aggressively move in the event that we are not given the necessary authorization by the legislature," said Olivar.

The government is currently looking into leasing or borrowing power generators to augment the energy supply in Mindanao.

“Also, we are continuing our information education campaign on energy conservation and energy efficiency,” Reyes said.

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