Landowners aggravate Mindanao power woes

MANILA, Philippines - A dispute over rent between landowners in four provinces and the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) might worsen the power crisis in Mindanao.

Lawyer Paterno Esmaquel, representing owners of land where 87 electricity transmission towers are located, has threatened to stop personnel of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) and Transco from entering their properties to conduct regular maintenance of the towers.

“The transmission towers have caused unrealized revenues to the affected landowners as they failed to fully exercise the attributes of ownership of their lands due to the existence of the transmission towers,” Esmaquel said over the weekend.

“Transco’s occupation or use of the lands is illegal and unlawful without an expropriation order from competent courts or a negotiated agreement on the right of way.”

The landowners have accused Transco of failing to compensate them for the use of their properties in Agusan del Norte, Cotabato, Bukidnon and Davao del Norte for more than 20 years,

Last week, eight landowners sought compensation for the lands that the transmission towers are occupying.

In a phone interview, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Perez-Alabanza said the issue that the government, not NGCP, must pay compensation is now in the courts.

“We are the concessionaire, but the facilities are owned by the government,” she said.

NGCP operates and maintains Transco’s transmission business.

The landowners said they can file separate criminal complaints against Transco president Rolando Bacani and hold him criminally liable for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for Transco’s failure to pay their claims.

A formal demand to Transco to pay the appropriate compensation and/or rentals had already been sent, the landowners added.

The Mindanao grid, which needs an average of 1,300 megawatts, lacks an average of 50 MW to 300 MW, resulting in two to four hours of rotating blackouts since January, data from the NGCP showed.

Angara blames gov’t

Sen. Edgardo Angara blamed yesterday the power crisis in Mindanao on the failure of the past and current administrations to act decisively on the implementation of renewable projects in the country.

Angara warned that the issue could be used to fan insurgency in several areas in Mindanao. 

“This is not a tipping point in EDSA,” he said. “This is a tipping point in Mindanao it might inflame the insurgency in Mindanao,” he said.

Angara said the administration should make sincere efforts to reach out to the people in Mindanao.

“The people of Mindanao should see that there are efforts to address the power problem... since the only effort I see there now is the organized lobby of congressmen to look into this crisis,” he said.

Angara said the government must boost projects on sources of renewable energy. 

“The advantage of renewable sources, we have our own sources,” he said.

Angara said the government’s lack of political will in the issuance of rates of feed-in tariffs (FIT) is the major reason why several foreign investors have diverted to neighboring countries in recent years.

“Because of inaction, we are now facing a crisis,” he said.

“I don’t understand why we are dragging our feet here. There was P5 billion lined up for renewable energy. But we were unable to pass the fee rates.

“If we improved on this juggling a fee then we would have not reached this stage.”

Angara said the FIT rates were pending even before the Aquino administration took over in 2010 and Jose Almendras was appointed energy secretary.

“I think the Mindanao crisis is a lesson that we should deal with, implement renewable energy projects. Let us not dilly-dally in our decisions here,” he said.

Angara said President Aquino has enough power within the law to address the situation. 

“There is enough powers for the President to expedite these efforts,” he said.

“We have the help of the private sector. All we need is competent leadership and the political will to do it.”

Angara said foreign investors have diverted to Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand because of the government’s failure to prioritize renewable energy projects and to pass tariff rates.

He said the government refused to work on the full implementation of the Renewable Energy Act, which was passed in 2008.

“There is $1-billion (investments),” he said. “Europeans are ready to come for as long as the tariffs are available. We won’t be dependent on oil coming from the Middle East, which prices are very volatile.”

Angara said Almendras must expedite the construction of hydropower plants and use of biomass energy.

“The only way to overcome this problem is by increasing the supply of power so that the electricity providers lower their cost,” he said. “We should take this opportunity to test the Philippine model of sustainable development based on our limitless renewable energy source.

“At least we will not be relying heavily on the use of fuel to have electricity.” - With Christina Mendez