DAVAO CITY -- Attacks on the power transmission system in parts of Mindanao should be treated as acts of “organized crime” and prosecuted accordingly, a senior research fellow of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) has recommended.
In addition to what (the government) promised to do, I think they should also treat this the way you would an organized crime, and know that the primary strategy in deterring organized crime... (is) pro-active intelligence gathering, and more vigorous law enforcement activity,” PIDS’ Adoracion M. Navarro in an interview.
Ms. Navarro said action from the government and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the operator of the main grid, is particularly crucial with the coming national and local elections on May 9.
“I have confidence that the NGCP is capable of ensuring that damage remains localized and does not affect a wider area, but still sometimes Filipinos, in our optimism, do not aim to extrapolate and understand how worse scenarios could be; this in turn results in lack of planning for a worst-case scenario,” she said.
Ms. Navarro also called for a contingency plan under involving standby power and increased security in order not to compromise the electoral process.
The public and the media, she added, should be able to connect (the attacks) to increase in the cost of electricity, economic losses due to electricity disruption, and inconveniences to the public... The NGCP has already asked the public to report suspicious activities through a hot line. There should be public outcry to hold the bombers accountable,” Ms. Navarro said.
Following an order from President Benigno S. C. Aquino III, the Department of Energy (DoE) has reactivated a “power task force” to ensure supply stability, particularly during the elections.
However, members of the task force -- the top officials of the DoE, NGCP, National Electrification Administration, National Power Corp., Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Corp., National Transmission Corp., Philippine Electricity Market Corp. and Manila Electric Co. -- have yet to meet due to conflicting schedules, according to DoE Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada.
Ms. Navarro said projections of adequate power supply in Mindanao starting this year with the opening of several new coal-fired power plants will not materialize if the transmission lines attacks are not stopped.
In addition to what (the government) promised to do, I think they should also treat this the way you would an organized crime, and know that the primary strategy in deterring organized crime... (is) pro-active intelligence gathering, and more vigorous law enforcement activity,” PIDS’ Adoracion M. Navarro in an interview.
Ms. Navarro said action from the government and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the operator of the main grid, is particularly crucial with the coming national and local elections on May 9.
“I have confidence that the NGCP is capable of ensuring that damage remains localized and does not affect a wider area, but still sometimes Filipinos, in our optimism, do not aim to extrapolate and understand how worse scenarios could be; this in turn results in lack of planning for a worst-case scenario,” she said.
Ms. Navarro also called for a contingency plan under involving standby power and increased security in order not to compromise the electoral process.
The public and the media, she added, should be able to connect (the attacks) to increase in the cost of electricity, economic losses due to electricity disruption, and inconveniences to the public... The NGCP has already asked the public to report suspicious activities through a hot line. There should be public outcry to hold the bombers accountable,” Ms. Navarro said.
Following an order from President Benigno S. C. Aquino III, the Department of Energy (DoE) has reactivated a “power task force” to ensure supply stability, particularly during the elections.
However, members of the task force -- the top officials of the DoE, NGCP, National Electrification Administration, National Power Corp., Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Corp., National Transmission Corp., Philippine Electricity Market Corp. and Manila Electric Co. -- have yet to meet due to conflicting schedules, according to DoE Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada.
Ms. Navarro said projections of adequate power supply in Mindanao starting this year with the opening of several new coal-fired power plants will not materialize if the transmission lines attacks are not stopped.
