President Rodrigo R. Duterte urged the energy distribution cooperative in Palawan to improve the province’s power situation or else he would expropriate its franchise and sell it to “major players” who can do it.
The President gave the ultimatum Saturday to the Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco) and provincial government officials led by Mayor Lucilo Bayron and Governor Jose Alvarez during a visit here to join the Subaraw Biodiversity Festival 2018, in line with the commemoration of the “Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) Day.”
“I hold nothing against cooperatives, they are pioneering spirits. But on the extreme, maybe, I will give you about towards the end of the year [to have] a new set up that would provide enough energy so that it can operate and it can move. You have to upgrade your source of energy. Kung hindi, ang gagawin ko maghahanap ako ng may pera talaga – China, nangangati ang kamay nyan just to get hold of developments here (If not, what I will do is I will look for a [power player] with money – China, its hands are just itching to get hold of developments here),” he said.
Duterte made this remark while lamenting Palawan’s power supply crisis causing frequent power outages.
“Yung inyong sitwasyon dito, yung inyong ilaw dito (Your situation here, your lights here) at this late of the date of development in the country, may brownout kayo na (you experience brownouts) six to eight hours–that is not acceptable to me,” Duterte said.
“Kung walang power, walang gumagalaw, walang produkto (If there’s no power, there’s no one working, there’s no products). That is the problem. I will simplify it for you,” he added.
Duterte said he would buy out cooperatives and allow major players to improve the province’s power situation, noting that the long-term power outages can be very critical to the progress and growth of the whole province and the everyday lives of occupants. (PNA)
