STATEMENT: Aquino's Emergency Powers: more power to steal from the people and destroy the environment

Press Statement
December 14, 2014
Panalipdan Southern Mindanao

On the Emergency Powers of Pres. BS Aquino
More power to steal from the people and destroy the environment

Panalipdan-SMR, an environmental advocacy group in Davao City, declares its opposition to the Joint House Resolution 21 giving emergency powers to the President supposedly to address the so-called energy crisis in the summer months of 2015. There is no energy crisis looming. Instead, this move by the House of Representatives may only lead to greater opportunities for corruption in the Aquino administration and to speeding up of environmental destruction in the country.

On further inspection, it is the energy reserves, not the supply, that will be affected. Plus, there are several projects underway to address this problem without resorting to an emergency power. To grant the president emergency powers therefore is not only unnecessary, it is unscrupulous. It gives the President further control over energy-related projects, including the financial aspects of such, even in the midst of his involvement in the corruption with pork barrel funds.

According to reports, the DOE estimates a 782-MW shortage for 2015, but projects are already underway to provide 1,600 MW of power for the next year, more than what is needed to provide for the reserve needs. With the suspension of environmental laws under the emergency powers, the construction of privately-owned power plants in the country can be hastened, which means greater environmental destruction. Aquino is truly an enemy of the environment; it puts privatized power industry’s profit first regardless of their impacts to the ecology and communities which will be affected.

It is likely that the funds that come out of these projects funnel directly to those who supported this bill, as the election period looms near. Why can the government subsidize the owners of SGFs or backup generators and not give financial support to the setting-up of community-based electrification projects?

The power crisis is a hocus, one that is destructive to the environment and provident for corrupt lawmakers of opportunities for misuse of public funds most likely for the upcoming election season. The continued privatization of the power industry through EPIRA will continue to result to increasing prices for electricity.

It is true that there is an energy problem in the country, but the problem does not lie in the lack of electric power itself but on how the additional generated power will benefit the Filipino people. Many barangays are still up to now not electrified. The emergency powers given to Aquino only shows whose interests his government is serving, that of foreign power industry and their local business partners, and not to the Filipino people.