Emergency powers proposed for Aquino to address power hike

QUEZON CITY — A lawmaker has proposed granting  President Aquino emergency powers to address the looming power rate hike and the lack of mass transit systems in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.

“Congress should study the possibility of granting President Aquino emergency powers to deal with two catastrophic problems confronting our country today –- the rising cost of power and the lack of mass transit in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces,” said Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone.
“We cannot afford a business as usual approach in dealing with these twin mega problems. It has been proven that palliative solutions to these problems have very little impact,” he pointed out.
Evardone’s recommendation of giving the Chief Executive emergency powers is not new. He also recommended this move at the height of the rotational brownout in Mindanao last March 2012.
When he was the governor of Eastern Samar and president of the Union of Local Government Authorities of the Philippines, he also supported then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Proclamation 1017, which placed the country under a state of emergency.
Evardone explained that granting emergency powers to President Aquino would “allow government to solve the woeful state of the country’s power and mass transportation systems, which he blamed on years of neglect.”
“It will fast-track the construction of more power plants, both to meet growing demand and bring down the cost of electricity, as well as of a wider mass transit system to decongest the worsening traffic situation in the National Capital Region,” Evardone noted.
He claimed that this could be the golden opportunity because foreign investors have a high respect for President Aquino for he is known as a leader who is incorruptible.
However, the idea was rejected by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., when asked by reporters if he will support the move.
Belmonte said in a text message that “let the President ask for it and Congress will take its cue.”