Press Release
March 27, 2012

KOKO PIMENTEL CALLS ON FELLOW MINDANAO LEGISLATORS TO ACT AS ONE IN SOLVING MINDANAO POWER CRISIS

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III is calling on fellow legislators from Mindanao to gather and act as one in coming up with solutions to the ongoing power crisis in Mindanao.

"The power outages are not only worsening in Mindanao, there are indications that we will be suffering up to eight hour power interruptions for a year or two. We can already predict that this will lead to a sharp decline in economic activity that may lead to losses of jobs and livelihood. This will heighten poverty in some Mindanao provinces and may create pressures that may spark disruptions in Mindanao's peace and order situation," said Pimentel.

"To avert this, I am calling on my fellow legislators from Mindanao to come together at the soonest possible time and thresh out solutions that can be implemented immediately," said Pimentel.

He said although Mindanao's power outages have been recurring, the lack of permanent measures by government energy planners to raise and stabilize supply has made it worse, driving away potential investors and affecting its improving tourism industry despite the island's vast potentials.

Pimentel said the economic costs of the prolonged power outages are incalculable, badly affecting trade, commerce and investments in Mindanao as well as its tourism industry that is beginning to perk up with increased arrivals of both local and international guests.

He said the power outages could also affect the delicate peace problem in Mindanao, where a long-running communist insurgency and a Muslim secessionist movement continue to create island-wide instability.

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