Friday, March 05, 2010

Power Crisis 2010

When we say history repeats itself, we don't mean to take it literally. This year, we are back in the power-crisis status, after escaping it in 1992. What happens next? A Former Defense Secretary as President? :)

We are now experiencing rotating brownouts around Metro Manila. 2 hours of brownout per day per group just to avoid power shortage. This is in the midst of an extremely hot summer weather. No one's enjoying this, except the exporters and retailers of power generators. Business for them is once again blooming.

I have already heard this crisis around 7 years ago. In 2004, there was a feature article in an investigative magazine, Newsbreak, about the possible power crisis in 5 years time. 6 years hence, the power crisis is here. It was brought out 6 years ago and people in government did not react. Now, in the most crucial, unprecedented period in Philippine history, the period when we are about to test a long-awaited automated elections, authorities will not tell us that we have insufficient power. Coincidence? Perhaps. As our dear Secretary of Energy said, "It's Force Majeure. Act of God. If you want to blame somebody, blame God."

Sir, with all due respect, I can't blame God on this one. God has given us the signs of power crisis several years back. God has given us the brain to process the problems. And now, we have to blame it on force majeure? I don't get it...

Now, there are talks of emergency powers to fix the crisis. First, Mindanao. Then, if things get worse, emergency powers will be necessary in Manila. What happens then to the May elections?

If Sec. Reyes wants to keep a good legacy in the cabinet, he should make things happen in the next few months, the last few months remaining in his term. The first thing to do in solving the problem is accepting it. We should first accept this problem and not blame it on the Supreme Being. We have a few months left before the elections. Time is running out...

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