Right intention at the ‘wrong time’

By Alex P. Vidal

“In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign. Secondly, a just cause. Thirdly, a rightful intention.”—Thomas Aquinas

PEOPLE in Panay Island, especially in the city and province of Iloilo, don’t want a repeat of the nauseating three to four days of power interruptions in April, which affected their health, almost destroyed the local economy, and sabotaged the tourism industry.

When they experienced tremendous inconveniences, hassles, and scary moments during the three to four days of infamy, the Ilonggos almost thought the furor became a matter of life and death.

Local elected officials dreaded the possibility that “the worst is yet to come”, thus there’s a need to grab the bulls by the horns, so to speak; or, the problem must be resolved soon—no ifs, no buts.

The Ilonggos and their elected officials were up in arms against the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for its failure to warn the people and avert the ignominious power outages.

NGCP is supposed to be tasked to ensure that the country’s transmission assets are in optimal condition to convey safe, quality, and reliable electricity by doing regular inspection and repair of lines and substations, clearing of Right-of-Way obstructions, and timely restoration during and after natural disasters.

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It is supposed to be transparent and protect the interest of the power consumers.

The hullabaloo prompted Senator Grace Poe to file Senate Resolution No. 579 calling for an inquiry into the Panay Island power outages and seeking a solution to finally end the residents’ woes.

This was a whiff of fresh air and a good news for the people of Panay Island.

However, the sudden participation of the aggressive and turgid Senator Raffy Tulfo in the perusal of NGCP might disrupt Poe’s search for “light at the end of the tunnel” in as far as the pursuit for truth on the power interruptions in Panay Island is concerned.

Without prejudice to Poe’s upcoming face-off with the NGCP on the Panay Island power outages, Tulfo waged a separate battle against the NGCP when he recently asked President Bongbong Marcos Jr. to hold a “comprehensive study” or senate hearings to determine NGCP’s security aspect and, if possible, wrest control of the NGCP which is reportedly dominated by China in ownership.

If Poe’s resolution is a Plaza Miranda, Tulfo’s proposed resolution is a Taj Mahal.

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Since this will involve China as a bigger player in this separate NGCP tiff, the initiatives of both Senators Tulfo and Riza Hontiveros might overshadow and eclipse in terms of priority and publicity Poe’s “mere” seeking of truth about the Panay Island power outages.

Pushed against the wall and facing two contrasting battles in the senate, NGCP might fight tooth and nail while struggling to weigh on which battlefield to prioritize.

If NGCP will unleash two howitzers against the two issues at the same time, the discussion about the security aspect and internal system will definitely get the top priority considering that it involves NGCP’s survival, identify, and integrity.

NGCP will be obliged to also respond to Poe’s antagonistic resolution, but it will focus the main artillery on the more perplexing Tulfo-Hontiveros resolution where debates are expected to generate serious attentions from higher authorities.

It might be harder to ferret out the truth in the Panay Island power outages if two major issues queue for NGCP’s attention.

Tulfo’s intention to correct what ails the NGCP was plausible. It could be right, only that it came at the “wrong time” for Poe’s resolution.

Or the other way around.

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Zinc improves mood in women. Oysters (talaba) are a great source of zinc. According to London-based Dr. John Biriffa, there is some evidence that links zinc deficiency with an enhanced risk of depression. Treatment with zinc improved mood to some extent, he said.

“Let us be of cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come.” — Amy Lowell. This is true. When our imagination plays a game, we sometimes think we own the debt incurred by Don King and we carry the world on our shoulders. Atlas Shrugged!

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