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No to emergency powers for GMA over power crisis – Gabriela Women’s Party

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Gabriela Women’s Party expressed today grave concern on the reported power crisis badly hitting Mindanao. Power failure in the island on election day would mean failure of the procedure. Malacañang allies in the House of the Representatives have proposed granting Gloria Macapagal Arroyo emergency powers based on this alarming report.

“We fear that Mindanao, where Arroyo ‘secured her triumph’ over her opponents in the previous elections, would again become her instrument to stay in power,” declared Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan, first nominee and Chair of Gabriela Women’s Party and a Mindanaoan herself.
“While the fact that another El Niño phenomenon is looming cannot be discounted, the government’s deliberate neglect in putting in place mitigating measures cannot be overlooked. This administration displays its inutility in responding to crises as proven many times,” the militant legislator added.

Gabriela Women’s Party finds it alarming that instead of setting into motion the government’s back-up power initiatives as promised in the Philippine Energy Plan, allies of Arroyo in the lower house are selling the idea that she be given emergency powers to address this crisis particularly in Mindanao.

“Aside from proving that laws as Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) have done nothing but privatize the government’s power assets, the timing is highly questionable.

“We have here a president tenaciously clinging to power at all costs. Given this administration’s capacity and record in deceiving the people, it isn’t far-fetched that this could be likely seized as an opportunity for Arroyo to declare a failure of elections paving her way to stay on in Malacañang,” Ilagan stressed.

Ilagan said that progressive party-lists like Gabriela Women’s Party-lists will ensure to block moves of Arroyo’s allies in the Congress towards this end. (Gabriela)

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