Villar
to GMA: Follow law in dealing with power crisis
THE ends do not justify the means.
Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar called
on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to strictly follow the
law in dealing with the power crisis, warning that any solution
that is extralegal could trigger a public backlash.
“No matter how noble the intentions
are, if that is indeed the case, it would still not justify
skirting or bending the law,” Villar said.
According to reports, the Palace is considering
bypassing Congress in dealing with the power shortage in Mindanao,
which is now experiencing rotational brownouts due to low
electricity reserves.
Section 71 of the Electric Power Industry
Reform Act or EPIRA bars the government from generating additional
power unless allowed by Congress through a joint resolution,
but President Arroyo’s legal experts believe an “aggressive”
interpretation of the law would allow state utilities to generate
additional capacity even without congressional approval.
Villar said the law is clear and should be
interpreted as written: that the approval of Congress is needed
in order to generate additional capacity.
“That provision of the law is there
for a reason and in this case, I believe it is to prevent
abuse by the powers-that-be. It works as a check-and-balance
mechanism,” he said. “If Congress intended that
President Arroyo could do that without congressional nod,
then it should have stated so in unequivocal terms. But it
is clear and that is what should be done.”
Villar said if President Arroyo will not follow
the law, then she will be courting the people’s ire.
“She would be bowing out in June. She
should think twice because she’s risking the people's
ire by disregarding provisions of the law in dealing with
the energy crisis,” he said.
Villar’s camp has already expressed
fears that the power shortage may be used to undertake massive
electoral fraud this coming May, especially at a time when
the elections process is being automated.
The senator said he personally experienced
the rotational brownouts now gripping Mindanao after he campaigned
in seven provinces and more than ten cities in the island./PN
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