By PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA — Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III wanted public hearings on the continuing power crisis in Mindanao to be held in the cities of Davao, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro.
Mindanao has been experiencing rotating brownouts since 2010 due to poor power generation, Pimentel yesterday said.
Pimentel blamed the Department of Energy for the looming power shortage in Mindanao, saying the agency should have attracted new industry players to put up the needed additional power capacity.
“Our people are angry. This burden has gone on too long,” said the chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights.
The government’s failure to inform the public when the power situation will improve is “almost criminal negligence,” he said.
The senator from Cagayan de Oro City had urged the government to prepare a comprehensive energy development master plan to ensure sustainable power supply.
Pimentel suggested that the National Power Corp. be reactivated, saying it can help independent power producers provide reserved and emergency power to the National Grip Corp. of the Philippines.
“The continuing outages would force businesses to slow down, dislocate vital public services, annoy millions of residents, and scare away potential investors and tourists,” he stressed./PN
