Back to work for Cusi

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ENERGY Secretary Alfonso Cusi, in his capacity as head of a portion of the PDP-Laban political party, earlier petitioned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) requesting for two items. He wanted the poll body to reopen the period of filing of certificates of candidacy and postpone the printing of ballots for the May 9 national elections to allow political parties without standard bearers like their group to have one.

Last January 12, both requests were resoundingly denied by the Comelec, as the grounds provided by the petition were not meritorious.

We still recall that when Cusi and Senators Koko Pimentel and Manny Pacquiao were having a tug-of-war for control of the PDP-Laban, many Filipinos were criticizing the secretary for putting most of his time and effort in political matters, relegating his post as chief of the Department of Energy (DOE) to the sidelines.

‘The DOE cannot be remiss
in its duty to ensure that the
Grid Operating and Maintenance Program (GOMP) or the shutdown schedule of power plants is attuned with the requirements of the nation.’

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Now that his Comelec petitions had been denied, and his group without an official candidate for president or vice president, Cusi has more time to devote to the DOE. Which is good for the nation, as the dry, summer months are beckoning, and the heat will be with us as soon as the cold amihan winds dissipate. The dry season and its concomitant spike in electricity usage among households and businesses are serious concerns of the government.

Cusi has moved to avoid rotational blackouts during the summer months, saying the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) should move or adjust the schedule of preventive maintenance shutdowns of power plants, primarily for those in the Luzon grid.

The energy chief said “the availability of stable and reliable power supply is of grave importance…there should be no surprises this year, especially given our continuous battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, regions that have been affected by Typhoon Odette are rebuilding themselves, and of course, because we are in an election year.”

It is consoling that the department foresees no ‘yellow alerts’ in 2022, with the NGCP having proposed for some amendments in the schedule of generator maintenance adjustments. The standard practice in the power industry is for the generation companies (Gencos) to source out to foreign technical experts in advance the repair work at their facilities during their planned downtimes.

The first half of the year is the election season and the availability of power supply is important in this political exercise. The DOE cannot be remiss in its duty to ensure that the Grid Operating and Maintenance Program (GOMP) or the shutdown schedule of power plants is attuned with the requirements of the nation.

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