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Rufus slams Noynoy, Joker for ‘ignorance’ of power crisis

By Charlie V. Manalo

02/23/2010

An opposition congressman from Mindanao yesterday lambasted Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Joker Arroyo for opposing his proposal for President Arroyo to be granted emergency powers to enable her to resolve the worsening energy crisis in the southern region, saying the two senators are ignorant of the current power situation in the South and are merely “opposing for the sake of opposing.”

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said Aquino and Joker Arroyo have no right to question his “motives” for raising such a proposal and that it is obvious that they know nothing about what is really happening in Mindanao.

“These senators are ignorant of what is actually happening in Mindanao. They are now opposing for the sake of opposing,” he said.

Reacting to Rodriguez’s proposal, Senators Aquino and Arroyo had said they saw no need for the President to be granted emergency powers to deal with the current energy problems brought about by the El Niño phenomenon as the crisis could just be “artificial.”

But Rodriguez said it is but expedient for the President to be granted such powers given the urgency of the situation. “There are now daily brownouts in all parts of Mindanao,” he stressed.

Lanao del Norte province Rep. Abdulla Dimaporo, meanwhile, said there is nothing to fear in providing Arroyo emergency powers to solve the energy crisis in Mindanao .

“Emergency powers for water and electricity is not martial law. I don’t know why there is fear for it. We have seen that in the Maguindanao martial law and state of emergency,” he said.

Other administration lawmakers have expressed support for Rodriguez’s proposal for Congress to hold a special session for the purpose of granting Arroyo emergency powers to be able to address the Mindanao crisis more effectively.

“I support the move to grant President Arroyo emergency powers to solve the energy crisis and the energy need for the election automation,” House Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Simeon Datumanong said.

Citing recent news reports, Datumanong said for this year alone, Mindanao may face a shortage of 440 megawatts of power supply, which he maintained provides a compelling enough reason for the President to be provided emergency powers to deal with the energy crisis there.

He said Carlito Claudio, systems director of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, had told the House committee on energy in a recent hearing that Mindanao may face a shortfall of four megawatts on Election Day, a situation that would certainly cause chaos in the polls there.

Zamboanga del Sur province Rep. Antonio Cerilles said the special emergency powers will help Arroyo undertake immediate and necessary measures to effectively address the energy problem.

Cerilles at the same time said with the energy crisis currently plaguing the country, it is now more than ever necessary for the government to seriously consider the use of nuclear energy, which he described as “clean, cheap and sustainable.”

Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco also backed the holding of a special session for the purpose of granting Arroyo emergency powers to address the energy crisis, especially in Mindanao.

“The energy crisis in Mindanao justifies a need for Congress to hold a special session to grant emergency powers to the President. Such powers will help her act with dispatch to ensure the implementation of vital measures to solve the energy crisis. Our national interest is at stake here, so we must help the President deal with the energy problem with utmost urgency by granting her emergency powers,” he said.

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