Energy chief Petilla: Mindanao power problem hardly my fault

Published March 14, 2014 2:41pm

After being criticized for supposedly failing to do his job, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said Friday that the current power problem in Mindanao is hardly his fault.

In a phone interview, Petilla attributed Mindanao's power woes to the lack of long-term planning by past energy officials.

"Ang reason ng power failure ng Mindanao is matagal na. Hindi pa ako umuupo, may brownout na ... If there's a brownout, it's hardly a doing of the current secretary," he said in an interview aired over GMA News TV's "News To Go."

"These are long-term effects of long-term planning in the past, na ngayon tayo nagsa-suffer. Whatever I do now will affect the secretary of the future. Kaya nga inaayos ko ito para hindi siya mamroblema," he added.

On Thursday, Senator Sergio Osmeña IIII, Senate energy committee chairman said he has long asked President Benigno Aquino III to replace Petilla as energy chief.

Osmeña particularly criticized Petilla's "bad" management skills and his supposed focus on politics.

Politics?

Petilla, however, denied Osmeña's accusations, maintaining that he has been doing his job round-the-clock.

"Morning, noon and night time, ang trabaho natin dito. Nakakakalbo na nga kung iisipin. Kaliwa't kanan ang inaatupag natin. Minsan hindi pa ako nakakapag-toothbrush may tumatawag na," the Cabinet official said.

He added that his critics should not equate his visits to his home province, Leyte, to politicking.

"Kung minsan nakikita na ako'y nasa bayan ko, that's once every two weeks for an overnight stay, siguro huwag namang i-count against sa akin iyon. Kasi may bahay ako doon, at ang nanay ko nandoon pati kamag-anakan ko ... Huwag naman sana i-count sa akin kung tinutulungan ko ang kamag-anakan ko," the energy secretary said.

Petilla was appointed by Aquino to the DOE in 2012. Prior to this, he served as Leyte governor for eight years.

On Thursday, Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said the President is "entitled to decide on the members of his Cabinet."

He likewise said the energy problem is very complicated since there are many players involved in it.

"So batid naman po namin na mayroong komprehensibong pananaw ang ating mga mambabatas. Pero dapat din pong malaman ng ating mga mamamayan na marami pong kalahok diyan sa industriya ng kuryente," Coloma said.

Late last month, Mindanao experienced a widespread power outage, believed to be caused by a malfunction in a hydroelectric power plant in Lanao del Sur.

The Mindanao blackout came months after the government's Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved a big-time power rate increase by the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). The rate hike was halted by the Supreme Court.

The DOE has also yet to fully restore power in some eastern Mindanao areas hit by Typhoon Pablo in 2012. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News

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