President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he will issue an order expropriating the franchises of power providers in Palawan, noting that these firms failed to solve the province’s rotational power outages.
Duterte recalled how he previously threatened to seize franchise cooperatives during his visit to the province some “three years ago,” but they failed to keep their promise to address the problem.
“I was here three years ago, I confronted them about the sorry state of the energy situation. They wrote me a letter promising action that it will be improved. Until now, para tayong buang so kunin ko nalang (we’re like idiots, so I’m just going to seize them),” he said in a speech in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
He added that since the franchises were merely granted to them, the government could take them “any time.”
Duterte said he will issue an order expropriating the power providers in Palawan by next week.
“We will take over and i-distribute na (and distribute). Wala (Nothing), you cannot claim exclusivity. You cannot claim private interest because itong ilaw is impressed with public good. So pag ayaw ninyo (So if you don’t want), either you come to agree with us sa matter of compensation ninyo or I will order an expropriation and I will do it next week. I will issue the order,” he said.
He said it is best for power providers to let go rather than failing to “keep up with the progress.”
Duterte added that other parties can be tapped to resolve the province’s rotational power outages.
“You have to expand and energy must eternally expand. Otherwise, babagsak ang ekonomiya…Ibigay mo talaga sa may kaya. Yung cooperatives ay kung may pera kayo, bitawan na ninyo (Otherwise, the economy will collapse. Just give to those who can do the job. If you cooperatives have money, just let go),” he said.
He also urged concerned government agencies to address the power shortage situation in the province.
In 2018, Duterte gave power providers until the end of the year to solve the province’s power woes.
He said having brownouts of six to eight hours in the province was “unacceptable,” especially since there were others with the financial capability to address the power woes.