By Malu Cadelina-Manar |
KIDAPAWAN CITY (May 24/Thursday) – Some 700 members of an alliance of groups of farmers, consumers, workers and urban poor in North Cotabato staged a three-hour protest rally here today to demand that the Department of Energy (DoE), through the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), dispatch to the province 25 percent of the power generated by the geothermal power plants located at Mount Apo, which they said is mandated by law.
The rally staged by members of Makabayan was held at the intersection along the Old PC Barracks and Daang Maharlika, a 45-minute ride to Barangay Ilomavis where the two geothermal power plants owned by EDC are situated.
As early as 5 a.m., the group set up their placards, streamers, and banners along the intersection and held what they termed was “noynoying.”
At 8:30 a.m., they dispersed from the streets to proceed to the Notre Dame of Kidapawan College (NDKC) gymnasium along Datu Ingkal Street here where they held another three-hour forum dubbed “Peoples’ power talk: A forum on Understanding the Real Issue Behind the Energy Crisis in Mindanao.”
“This rally is part of what we call noynoying. This is to show to the PNoy administration that we’re really annoyed or we’re not happy with this energy crisis,” said Makabayan convenor Ruby Padilla Sison.
One of the demands of the group was to dispatch to North Cotabato 25 percent of power from the EDC’s geothermal power plants as mandated by a national law.
The plants generate at least 104 megawatts of power.
“It’s so ironical we host these plants, yet we experienced last month eight hours of blackouts,” said Sison.
Contrary to reports, the group did not prevent vehicles of the EDC from traversing the highway leading to the Mindanao Geothermal Production Field.
“What we did was a peaceful rally. We allowed vehicles that ferried EDC employees to pass the streets,” said Sison.
Also, other EDC vehicles passed through other alternative routes leading to the geothermal field, reports said.
In April, the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco), the service provider of North Cotabato, was only given around 22 megawatts from the Mindanao Grid of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which is way below the province’s need of 38MW.
It was reduced to 15.4 MW when the Pulangi 4 hydroelectric power plant in Bukidnon underwent preventive maintenance starting April 17.
The province’s power supply improved in May after Cotelco was allotted 28MW, according to Cotelco general manager Godofredo Homez.
The cooperative bought additional 8MW from Therma Marine, Inc., of Aboitiz Power, to fill in the deficiency.
Makabayan has also expressed opposition to the privatization of the hydroelectric power plants in the provinces of Lanao and Bukidnon.
“If the national government would push through its plan to sell to private firms the hydroelectric power plants, what would happen to ordinary farmers like us? For sure, our electric bills would go higher,” said Noli Lapaz, chair of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in North Cotabato.
If the privatization plan would proceed, the group said the power industry will really become a “very powerful” cartel or monopoly in the country.
The group said they support the move of some Mindanao legislators and local government officials in opposing the privatization of the Agus and Pulangi hydroelectric power plants.
In North Cotabato, Gov. Lala Mendoza has initiated a signature campaign among LGU officials to oppose the privatization.
She said the signatures were already submitted to the office of Secretary Lualhati Antonino of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). (Malu Cadeliña Manar / MindaNews) source
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