Don’t involve Tulfo, Padilla in Panay blackout senate probe

By Alex P. Vidal

“A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.”—Winston Churchill

NOW that Senator Grace Poe has filed Senate Resolution No. 579 calling for an inquiry into the Panay Island power outages and seeking a solution to finally end the residents’ woes, let’s make sure only senators with the best intentions and those credible be allowed in the panel.

If possible, Senators Raffy Tulfo and Robin Padilla, both known for their rudeness and hot temper, should recuse themselves or be told to step aside.

The subject matter is very vital because there is an urgent need to find out the cause of the grid disturbances reported by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) allegedly due to the tripping of distribution utilities (DUs).

We need cooler heads and experts on issues about the power generation and distribution, not grandstanding panelists with hidden political agenda in the 2028 presidential election.

The chips must fall where they may so as not to repeat the nightmares of the Ilonggos in the recent four-day unannounced power interruptions.

We can’t afford to miss important details and discussions crucial to the solution of the extremely damaging power interruptions; we can’t afford not to nail down the proper steps to meet the transmission grid’s regulatory and contingency requirements during the senate investigation.

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If entertainers Tulfo and Padilla will join Poe during the senate hearing, they will only repeat what they have been doing in the previous senate hearings where they harassed, sneered at, bawled out, and insulted invited resource persons even in the slightest mistake.

If this happens, the main subject matter will be sidelined and overshadowed as the two clowns will only showboat and grandstand as they wont to do in the past senate committee hearings.

And, please, don’t involve the charlatan senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla in this serious and urgent senate committee hearing.

No adding insult to injury please—in the event Padilla and Tulfo will “gatecrash”. Two is too much. Four is a curse.

We are aware the Filipinos have endured the misfortune of having incompetent and mediocre senators owing to the Philippines’ defective electoral system where popularity reigns over qualifications and competence in the election of national leaders, but please spare the senate hearing on the Panay Island power interruptions.

Let’s be truthful and serious this time.

The DUs, meanwhile, have pointed to the NGCP as the origin of the problem. Poe pointed out that there are many issues bugging the management and operation of NGCP that need to be addressed.

We will know the whole truth and nothing but the truth during the senate inquiry.

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IT seems our young athletes have been doing good in the ongoing 32^nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2023 in Cambodia.

From May 5-17, 2023, athletes from 11 nations, including the Philippines, compete for medals across 37 different sports.

At the last edition at Hanoi 2021, athletes took part in 526 events in 40 different sports. At SEA Games 2023, 581 medals are at stake.

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) under the Marcos administration should see to it that all the Filipino athletes are given their allowances and other material support so that no scandal on financial mess will erupt after the SEA Games.

Many years ago, a PSC commissioner, a former mayor in Panay Island, came under fire after the uniforms of Pinoy SEA Games athletes were discovered to be overpriced.

Filipino athletes who compete in the SEA Games should receive cash allowances even if they don’t win medals—gold, silver, or bronze.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)