AMIN expresses alarm over effects of power crisis on daily wage-earners

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Anak Mindanao (AMIN) party-list today expresses alarm over reports that the power crisis that is now plaguing Mindanao will cause the massive retrenchment of workers in the island.

AMIN Rep. Ariel C. Hernandez said the Department of Energy (DoE) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) should work together and map out mitigating plans/measures to address this coming crisis in the labor sector.

Hernandez also urged the private sector to stop blaming the government for the power woes, stressing that “now is not the time of finger-pointing and laying blame. Now is the time to work together since we are all affected by this shortage of energy in Mindanao.”

“While government addresses the power shortage in Mindanao, the government and the private sector should work together to map out mitigating measures to address the impending crisis in the labor sector,” he said.

Hernandez said that the power crisis has affected all sectors of society, most particularly the workers who daily toil in workplaces despite the brownouts just to make their business employers stay afloat amidst the rising cost of doing business just to earn their daily wages.

“This power crisis is now spawning a host of other problems and the hardest hit sector is those of the daily wage-earners,” he stressed.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) recently warned of “severe” job losses in Mindanao because of the power crisis that continue to cripple down various job-generating sectors in the island.

TUCP Secretary-General Ernesto Herrera said that based on their projections, at least 10,000 workers in farming and fishing sectors, mining, food and wood industries will be affected.

Also to be affected are workers in power-intensive industries such as the steel and cement manufacturing, canning, commercial fishing, food processing, retail trade and telecommunications.

Hernandez said this is because if government cannot find a solution to the power crisis in the short term, businesses will be forced to retrench workers to cope with the rising cost of doing business in Mindanao.

AMIN, number 81 in the ballot, is a party-list group founded in Mindanao to advance the aspirations and dreams of Mindanawons for lasting peace, equity and development. It is among the party-list groups that won seats in Congress since the party-list system was introduced in the country’s political system.

AMIN was formed to effect reforms in the electoral and form of governance in Mindanao and in the rest of the country, in general; promote genuine peace and sustainable development in the country, particularly in Mindanao; and to work for a just and humane economic, political and cultural condition of all peoples, especially the marginalized sector.

In the May 10, 2010 elections, AMIN is seeking to return to Congress to continue pushing for the “Mindanao Agenda.”

And job security are part of this “Mindanao Agenda” of AMIN.

“All businesses in Mindanao are now in a survival mode. But we just cannot let them survive and do nothing for the survival of our brothers and sisters who are dependent on these businesses. They are also in a survival mode now. And we must ensure that both employer and employee survived this crisis now,” he said.

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LOREN ADDRESSES AGRI, CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH ISSUES

Campaigning yesterday in Cabanatuan, NP-NPC-LDP vice presidential bet Loren Legarda called for extensive consultation in the agriculture, climate change and health committees of the Senate, all of which she chairs, in order to address food security and health issues.

Legarda seeks to put an end to the heavy importation of rice and vegetables, which kills the local farming industry and causes local food prices to spike.

"Massive importation of rice and vegetables not only kills the local farming industry but also leads to higher prices of food, which in turn threatens the nation's health by making healthy, adequate food more inaccessible. Food security and health issues are closely intertwined. I am trying to address both of these in the committees that I chair in the Senate," she said.

Further, Legarda said climate change must be considered in setting government's food and health policy.

"Climate change is a challenge to both the agriculture and health sectors of the country. With resources becoming more and scarcer, especially water, agricultural production has greatly diminished. Without adequate food, we jeopardize our nation's health," said Legarda.

She also reiterated her call for government to release the El Nino funds to rescue the country's agriculture and fisheries sectors.

“I appeal to all who process papers in agriculture and fishery bureaucracy for the release of funds for El Nino-related purposes in agriculture and fisheries. Please expedite paper work. Namamatay na ang mga tanim at mga hayop.,“ she said.

“It is critical now that we give extension support to our farmers, and provide them technical and financial assistance. For instance, we should start teaching them to plant drought-resistant crops,” said Legarda.

The NDCC has reported that 300,000 hectares of agricultural land and P5.11 billion worth of crops have been damaged by El Nino.

Meanwhile, Loren said that ‘To ignore climate change is to neglect the poor’

Loren Legarda today challenged all candidates running for national positions to tackle climate change, “an issue that is no longer the abstract, unintelligible concept that it was before. Climate change is real. You can see it in the daily struggles of the poor today.”

Legarda, the only candidate carrying environmental issues in her national campaign, cited the plight of farmers against El Nino, hunger, poverty, and the spread of disease as "everyday effects of climate change".

“Ang mga pinaka-apektado ng climate change ay ang mga mahihirap. Sino ba ang nawawalan ng ani tuwing tagtuyot? Sino ang nasasalanta ng mas madalas at mas makapaminsalang bagyo? Sino ang tinatamaan ng malaria, dengue at iba pang mga sakit na dulot ng climate change?” she said.

“The time of climate change cynics is over. We have no time for apathy and inaction. Climate change is a real issue, felt by the poorest, most vulnerable of our people," she said.

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PGMA declares state of calamity in Mindanao

With no end in sight for the drought now wreaking havoc on crops and continuously bringing down electricity supply in Mindanao, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has placed the southern regions under a state of calamity.

The President on Friday issued Proclamation No. 2022 declaring a state of calamity in Mindanao, enabling the government to immediately take necessary measures to mitigate the impact of the prolonged dry spell in the South due to the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Proclamation 2022, states that “the El Nino phenomenon and the absence of new large generation capacities have aggravated the power supply situation in the Mindanao Grid.”

“While the Local Government Code confers upon the local government units the power to determine and declare a state of calamity in their respective localities, the declaration by the President of a state of calamity is still necessary for the disbursement of the national calamity fund under the General Appropriations Act.”

The Department of Energy, which recommended the declaration of state of emergency in the South, was directed and authorized to take steps to “address and resolve the crisis expeditiously.”

All departments and government agencies concerned were also directed to implement and execute appropriate programs in accordance with the existing operational plans and directives and orders issued in connection with the calamity.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines reported that the Mindanao grid will continue to experience generation deficiency of approximately 632 MW today, compared to last Friday’s deficiency of 602 MW.

The said reduced deficiency can be attributed to a decrease in today' peak demand. The limited power supply in the island is still caused by the inadequate available capacities from the grid's main power sources -- National Power Corporation's hydro power plants. Almost all of these plants have water reservoirs that are drying up due to the El Niño.

The Energy department has recommended four courses of action “to immediately solve the power supply situation in Mindanao.” These are:

o Lease-rental of (160 Megawatts) Gensets (power generators)
o Operation and maintenance of the 30-MW Iligan Diesel Power Plant 1 (IDPP)
o Enter into an operation and maintenance agreement with Alsons for IDPP2
o Contract additional 5 MW from the Southern Philippines Power Corp. under an existing contract

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Hundreds Celebrate New School Buildings Built by Filipino Contractors and U.S. Navy Seabees

By Joint Special Operations Task Force—Philippines Public Affairs

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines- Symbolizing a new beginning and the commitment to provide quality facilities for undergraduates in Lanao Del Sur, more than 500 educators, local residents and the U.S. and Philippine forces celebrated the dedication of two reconstructed school facilities at Lanao Agricultural College March 1.

More than 800 students attend the high school and college on campus and many of the facilities are in need of renovations. Due to limited funding at the college, facilities are run down and often in need of repairs, according to School Assistant Superintendent Paino C. Alib.

“We are so grateful for this project and all those who came together to build this for us. The children here just love it. The AFP, the PNP [Philippine National Police] and U.S. forces, we just thank all of you for this building,” said Mamintal G. Razuman, mayor of Lumbatan City.

A U.S. Navy Construction Electrician 1^st Class led a team of 15 U.S. Navy Seabees, assigned to Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, which partnered with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and school officials to build the classrooms.

The project took six months to complete and was made possible through the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Navy Seabees, School Superintendent Arimao S. Asum, soldiers from the Philippines 103^rd Infantry Army Brigade that provided convoy security and local contractors who put up the roofing.

The seven-million-peso project includes the college's main 5,800 square-foot building and a 1,000 square-foot science building. The buildings contain eight white-and-brown classrooms already in use since December.

The structures include a septic system, electrical power distribution, lighting, fans and a generator. There is also a separate comfort room (bathroom) and prayer room, as many of the students are Muslim and wanted a room for daily prayers.

“This ceremony is an example of what can happen when individuals from all of these different groups and organizations come together with one final purpose; it is truly an amazing happening. It is exciting for all of us involved. This really means that anything is possible,” said a U.S. Army Special Forces officer in charge for the Marawi area.

Science posters of different plants now hang on the walls, with newly-stained brown desks and freshly-scrubbed chalkboards. A posted schedule on each classroom designates certain students responsible for the upkeep of the classrooms, which includes sweeping each room and the gardening around the outside of the buildings.

As humanitarian projects with the Armed Forces of the Philippines are a cornerstone of the JSOTF-P mission, the school was a way both militaries could help the people in the community and provide them with better facilities for their growth and education.

Officials from the college, officers with the AFP’s 103^rd Infantry Brigade, and members of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines cut the ribbon in front of the school, officially turning the school over to college administers.

At the ribbon-cutting, several prominent community leaders spoke, including Brig. Gen. Rey Ardo, commander of the 103^rd Infantry Brigade, who took a moment to reflect on what the construction of the school meant to him and the community.

“This is the third largest construction project in Lanao Del Sur. These are important ties that we have with the Philippine and U.S. government. This project is an example of the progress we want to make here, and we are grateful for the military forces that helped make this progress happen,” he said.

After the ceremony, members of the 103rd^t Brigade led a book donation drop off, which resulted in 1,200 science and other textbooks for the school.

“What we have accomplished here is truly something worth celebrating. The potential for something even greater cannot be ignored,” said a U.S. Army Special Forces officer.

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