Gov’t Could Have Foreseen Mindanao Power Crisis 10 Yyears Ago -LOREN

“EL NIÑO SEEMS TO BE A MOST CONVENIENT SCAPEGOAT AND WHIPPING BOY OF THE ARROYO ADMINISTRATION TO COVER UP FOR ITS LACK OF FORESIGHT, WHICH RESULTED IN THE CURRENT POWER CRISIS IN MINDANAO,” NP-NPC-LDP VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE LOREN LEGARDA SAID ON THURSDAY DURING A BREAK IN HER CAMPAIGN SORTIE IN DAVAO CITY.
Legarda was reacting to an article posted on the same day at the MindaNews website, quoting former National Power Corp. president Guido Delgado as saying: “It is impossible for the administration not to have foreseen the situation.”
The article was written by Carolyn Arguillas and titled “Mindanao’s power shortage: foreseen but ignored?”.
What struck Legarda about the article was that the NPC chief predicted 10 years ago that Mindanao might run short of power.
That’s was why Delgado, 1992 TOYM Awardee for Development Banking, signed an agreement to have the 200-megawatt STEAG plant, three days before he retired.
“Instead of being praised for it, he was suspected of having entered into a ‘midnight deal,’” Legarda said. “During that time, the president was already Mrs. Gloria Arroyo. Now they’re putting all the blame on El Niño, and even Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said: ‘If you want to blame anybody, blame God.’ That’s pathetic. While El Niño might have aggravated a lot of problems, the government could have done something about them.”