D.O.E. officials told: Seek other options to avert electricity shortage

A lawmaker on Wednesday said that Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla and other energy officials must first exhaust all options under the authority and powers of the executive department and the Electric Power Industry Reform Act before asking President Aquino to seek emergency powers from Congress to solve the looming power crisis in the country.

Nationalist People’s Coalition Rep. Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela said that there should be proper, legal and valid justification in seeking the approval of Congress for emergency powers.

“There are a lot of options available to the energy department to find a solution to what Petilla claimed to be a looming electricity shortage like proper scheduling and coordination of plant maintenance shutdowns of the Malampaya LNG facilities in Palawan with the power plants of various by power producers,” Albano, a member for the minority bloc of the House committee on energy and former executive director of the Joint Congressional Power Commission, said. –Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz, Businessmirror