Press Release
April 17, 2016

BONGBONG MARCOS ALARMED OVER POWER SUPPLY DEFICIENCY

Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. today expressed alarm over the power supply situation in the country in the light of the forthcoming elections as he called on energy officials to ensure that there will be no brownout on election day.

Marcos aired the call after the Luzon grid was put on red alert for around three hours Friday afternoon due to power supply deficiency.

"The power supply situation is alarming and the government must do everything to ensure there will be no brownouts during the elections because it could put into question the results of the elections," said Marcos.

Power officials attributed the red alert to higher demand due to heat as well as scheduled maintenance shutdown of several power plants, reduced capacity of some plants, and unexpected breakdown of several others.

"I can bear the brownouts that seem to follow my campaign but the Filipino people will not accept any excuses from the government if brownouts would plague our elections this May," said Marcos.

Earlier, Marcos bared that unexpected brownouts hit the areas of his campaign sorties in Iloilo, Negros Oriental, and Tagbilaran City in Bohol.

"While our officials are assuring us that there won't be any brownouts on the day of the elections the fact that we still have thin power reserve with barely three weeks before the elections continue to be a cause for concern," he said.

Marcos said the lack of adequate power is the product of neglect of the current administration. He noted that at the start of its term the current administration was already aware of the looming power crisis but it has failed to address the problem until now.

The senator said it is imperative for the next administration to immediately address the power problems besetting the country not only for the benefit of regular household and commercial users but to make the economy more competitive as well. "We have to increase our power supply and we have to lower our cost of production," Marcos said.

During his stint as governor of Ilocos Norte, Marcos pioneered the first ever commercial electricity-generating wind farm in Southeast Asia and provided adequate power not only to his province but to nearby areas as well.

Marcos has been proposing for massive government spending on basic infrastructure, including power plants to ensure adequate, reliable, and cheaper electricity.

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