DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
3/26-4/1/2012
The manipulated power crisis in Mindanao was created by the oligarchs and their minions.
Their minions include the Department of Energy (DoE), the Power Sector Asset and Liabilities Management (Psalm), the Energy Rgulatory Commission (ERC) and other similar entities.
The Mindanao power crisis has been a painful disaster for the economy of Mindanao, but it has also been a blessing in disguise as it awakened the country to the criminal character of the ruling oligarchs and the Epira law they pushed through the corrupt Philippine Congress over 10 years ago.
Readers of this column know that we have been exposing the scandalous power price blackmail of the past few years. They are being forced to accept exorbitant power prices by the DoE which has threatened to issue an order to force Mindanao electric cooperatives to buy power from Aboitiz's Therma Marine that's six times the normal 2.60/kwh rates in Mindanao.
Instead of complying the Mindanaoans have raised hell and they are getting the nation's attention now.
In a Manila Standard Today newspaper report by Christine Herrera last week headlined "Imperial Manila Noynoying," referring to the inaction of Malacañang to the power crisis in Mindanao, North Cotabato Gov. Emilou Talino-Mendoza charged that "intentional" four to eight-hour blackouts in Mindanao are being perpetrated "….because the Palace wants Mindanao to submit to its plan to privatize the hydrothermal power plants and to accept power barges from big business that charges exorbitant fees of P14 a kilowatt hour."
The report continued to say that Gov. Talino-Mendoza found it difficult to explain to her people why they were experiencing long blackouts when the province is host to the Mt. Apo Geothermal Power Plant being run by the Lopezes.
The governor said that today, four big businesses are involved in generating and distributing power in Mindanao: the Lopezes, the Ayalas, the mall mogul Henry Sy (actually Jr.) and the Aboitizes, who she said are all "friends" of President Benigno Aquino III.
The courageous governor says: "The Palace, the Department of Energy and Energy Regulatory Commission are Noynoying in Manila, while our people here are also forced to do Noynoying because they have nothing to do and are helpless about the blackouts that hit us everyday…"
General Santos City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custudio also joined the governor in the call against privatization of the Mindanao hyrdro-power assets and demand for a congressional investigation.
In the Senate, Chiz Escudero and Koko Pimentel have called on senate energy committee chair Serg Osmeña to launch an investigation.
Inn the Lower House, party list Cong. Angelo Palmones, Rep. Rufus Rodrigues of Cagayan de Oro and Vicente Belmonte of Iligan have called on the House energy counterpart Dina Abad to respond to the issues being raised.
Senator Sergio Osmeña III, chairman of the Senate committee on energy, vowed to conduct the probe but not before blaming Gloria Arroyo for the crisis.
Dina Abad, a Lopez minion, has kept quiet.
Serge Osmeña has spoken, alleging that Gloria Arroyo had been in the habit of compelling Napocor to reduce power prices to window dress her performance.
From all the historical facts that anyone can easily find on the Internet, Gloria Arroyo was forced on several occasions to do this because the Epira law that privatized the power sector and open it to the greed and abuses of the oligarchs caused power rates to shoot up to become the "highest power rates in Asia."
Arroyo is not without fault as the Epira was one of the concessions she was required to give to get the support of the oligarchs and its foreign partners in Edsa II.
We put on written record here, as it was stated by our GNN show guest and former Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) energy committee advocate Wilson, that Gloria Arroyo sought to stop the FDC from opposing the Epira; likewise Arroyo suppressed the exposé of the Partido Manggagawa congressman Renato Magtubo of the P500,000 payola through Sonny Belmonte to pass the Epira.
"The power rates in Mindanao have been politicized," Herrera quotes Osmeña, "This is why the Epira Law mandates the sale of Napocor's plants to the private sector, so that the private owners will not have to compete with government plants whose rates can be subsidized."
But what is wrong with government providing low and affordable rates to the public and why is Serg Osmeña so concerned with the private owners profit concerns and not the power consuming public that are adversely damaged by the high power rates the privatized power plants "private owners" are charging?
Obviously it is because Serg Osmeña is part of the Meralco-Lopez family and is seated in the energy committee to protect the oligarchs' interest and not the nation.
The Epira defenders like the Malaya editorial of March 22 point to Davao City which did not have blackouts during the crisis, but the generation cost there are double or almost double the areas hit by the crisis.
Gov. Talino-Mendoza said: "Davao's power generation is owned by the Ayalas and the distribution is also owned by the Ayalas. They wanted us to give up also the power distribution to the Lopezes, who now run the Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant," and Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant could generate 98 megawatts and North Cotabato's system peak demand was only at 38 megawatts, "… yet we contend with eight-hour blackouts everyday."
North Cotabato was negotiating with the Lopezes to reduce the cost of power to P3.50 per kilowatt hour from P4.11 when the blackouts started hitting it.
Talino-Mendoza said then: "We were told to accept power barges owned by big business that charges us P14 per kilowatt hour."
If North Cotabato accepts these rates today, they will be tied to them for the next 20 years as that is the duration of the contract, precisely the same type of con game and swindle the oligarchs and the corrupted DoE and ERC gave blessings to in Luzon and the Visayas.
At this writing, to try to resolve the irate Mandanaons' rebellion, Malacañang's Noynoy hints leasing the Aboitiz's Therma Marine power barges which it acquired for $30 million and turned around and assessed at $ 80 million as rate base to charge the P 14/kwh rate.
So, we ask Serge Osmeña: Isn't this the public capitalizing and subsidizing the oligarchs; a case of socialism for the rich and the risk and pains capitalism for the rest of us ordinary mortals?
This morning as I write ERC spokesman Saturnino Juan is lying through his teeth over DWIZ's Karambola to cover up the grandiose con game of the oligarchs, the corrupt politicians and captured Cabinet offices and regulatory agencies.
We are thankful the show then called up Mr. Jojo Borja to expose and denounce the lies of the ERC and its spokesperson right there and then.
At this writing, the Mindanoans are also filing a P 5-billion class suit against the government power executives in this power mess.
In Luzon, we must launch a movement to oust Serge Osemña and Dina Abad from their respective energy committees so the scandals may be truly investigated.
(Tune in to 1098AM, DWAD, Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m.; watch Destiny Cable GNN's HTL edition of Talk News TV, Saturdays, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11:15 p.m., on "Mines: Bombs or Boon?"; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio archives)
Their minions include the Department of Energy (DoE), the Power Sector Asset and Liabilities Management (Psalm), the Energy Rgulatory Commission (ERC) and other similar entities.
The Mindanao power crisis has been a painful disaster for the economy of Mindanao, but it has also been a blessing in disguise as it awakened the country to the criminal character of the ruling oligarchs and the Epira law they pushed through the corrupt Philippine Congress over 10 years ago.
Readers of this column know that we have been exposing the scandalous power price blackmail of the past few years. They are being forced to accept exorbitant power prices by the DoE which has threatened to issue an order to force Mindanao electric cooperatives to buy power from Aboitiz's Therma Marine that's six times the normal 2.60/kwh rates in Mindanao.
Instead of complying the Mindanaoans have raised hell and they are getting the nation's attention now.
In a Manila Standard Today newspaper report by Christine Herrera last week headlined "Imperial Manila Noynoying," referring to the inaction of Malacañang to the power crisis in Mindanao, North Cotabato Gov. Emilou Talino-Mendoza charged that "intentional" four to eight-hour blackouts in Mindanao are being perpetrated "….because the Palace wants Mindanao to submit to its plan to privatize the hydrothermal power plants and to accept power barges from big business that charges exorbitant fees of P14 a kilowatt hour."
The report continued to say that Gov. Talino-Mendoza found it difficult to explain to her people why they were experiencing long blackouts when the province is host to the Mt. Apo Geothermal Power Plant being run by the Lopezes.
The governor said that today, four big businesses are involved in generating and distributing power in Mindanao: the Lopezes, the Ayalas, the mall mogul Henry Sy (actually Jr.) and the Aboitizes, who she said are all "friends" of President Benigno Aquino III.
The courageous governor says: "The Palace, the Department of Energy and Energy Regulatory Commission are Noynoying in Manila, while our people here are also forced to do Noynoying because they have nothing to do and are helpless about the blackouts that hit us everyday…"
General Santos City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custudio also joined the governor in the call against privatization of the Mindanao hyrdro-power assets and demand for a congressional investigation.
In the Senate, Chiz Escudero and Koko Pimentel have called on senate energy committee chair Serg Osmeña to launch an investigation.
Inn the Lower House, party list Cong. Angelo Palmones, Rep. Rufus Rodrigues of Cagayan de Oro and Vicente Belmonte of Iligan have called on the House energy counterpart Dina Abad to respond to the issues being raised.
Senator Sergio Osmeña III, chairman of the Senate committee on energy, vowed to conduct the probe but not before blaming Gloria Arroyo for the crisis.
Dina Abad, a Lopez minion, has kept quiet.
Serge Osmeña has spoken, alleging that Gloria Arroyo had been in the habit of compelling Napocor to reduce power prices to window dress her performance.
From all the historical facts that anyone can easily find on the Internet, Gloria Arroyo was forced on several occasions to do this because the Epira law that privatized the power sector and open it to the greed and abuses of the oligarchs caused power rates to shoot up to become the "highest power rates in Asia."
Arroyo is not without fault as the Epira was one of the concessions she was required to give to get the support of the oligarchs and its foreign partners in Edsa II.
We put on written record here, as it was stated by our GNN show guest and former Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) energy committee advocate Wilson, that Gloria Arroyo sought to stop the FDC from opposing the Epira; likewise Arroyo suppressed the exposé of the Partido Manggagawa congressman Renato Magtubo of the P500,000 payola through Sonny Belmonte to pass the Epira.
"The power rates in Mindanao have been politicized," Herrera quotes Osmeña, "This is why the Epira Law mandates the sale of Napocor's plants to the private sector, so that the private owners will not have to compete with government plants whose rates can be subsidized."
But what is wrong with government providing low and affordable rates to the public and why is Serg Osmeña so concerned with the private owners profit concerns and not the power consuming public that are adversely damaged by the high power rates the privatized power plants "private owners" are charging?
Obviously it is because Serg Osmeña is part of the Meralco-Lopez family and is seated in the energy committee to protect the oligarchs' interest and not the nation.
The Epira defenders like the Malaya editorial of March 22 point to Davao City which did not have blackouts during the crisis, but the generation cost there are double or almost double the areas hit by the crisis.
Gov. Talino-Mendoza said: "Davao's power generation is owned by the Ayalas and the distribution is also owned by the Ayalas. They wanted us to give up also the power distribution to the Lopezes, who now run the Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant," and Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant could generate 98 megawatts and North Cotabato's system peak demand was only at 38 megawatts, "… yet we contend with eight-hour blackouts everyday."
North Cotabato was negotiating with the Lopezes to reduce the cost of power to P3.50 per kilowatt hour from P4.11 when the blackouts started hitting it.
Talino-Mendoza said then: "We were told to accept power barges owned by big business that charges us P14 per kilowatt hour."
If North Cotabato accepts these rates today, they will be tied to them for the next 20 years as that is the duration of the contract, precisely the same type of con game and swindle the oligarchs and the corrupted DoE and ERC gave blessings to in Luzon and the Visayas.
At this writing, to try to resolve the irate Mandanaons' rebellion, Malacañang's Noynoy hints leasing the Aboitiz's Therma Marine power barges which it acquired for $30 million and turned around and assessed at $ 80 million as rate base to charge the P 14/kwh rate.
So, we ask Serge Osmeña: Isn't this the public capitalizing and subsidizing the oligarchs; a case of socialism for the rich and the risk and pains capitalism for the rest of us ordinary mortals?
This morning as I write ERC spokesman Saturnino Juan is lying through his teeth over DWIZ's Karambola to cover up the grandiose con game of the oligarchs, the corrupt politicians and captured Cabinet offices and regulatory agencies.
We are thankful the show then called up Mr. Jojo Borja to expose and denounce the lies of the ERC and its spokesperson right there and then.
At this writing, the Mindanoans are also filing a P 5-billion class suit against the government power executives in this power mess.
In Luzon, we must launch a movement to oust Serge Osemña and Dina Abad from their respective energy committees so the scandals may be truly investigated.
(Tune in to 1098AM, DWAD, Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m.; watch Destiny Cable GNN's HTL edition of Talk News TV, Saturdays, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11:15 p.m., on "Mines: Bombs or Boon?"; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio archives)
