Cherry Orendain, spokesperson for the Anakbayan and Kabataan progressive groups, said policemen, armed with truncheon, broke the peaceful rally. Most of those injured were leaders of various groups.
“Members of the Davao City Police violently dealt with our leaders and we will file charges of physical injuries against them,” she said, adding two of the victims – Rendell Ryan Cagula, the Kabataan Party list regional coordinator; and Michael Lim, of Anakbayan, were both punched in the body by police officers.
“We condemn the brutality exerted by the police among our leaders and members. There is nothing wrong in airing out our opposition to the looming power rate increase because of President Aquino’s furtherance of the sell out of the energy industry,” Orendain said.
“Compared to their truncheons and shield, we only have our voices of opposition. Physically we have no stand against their weapons. If the youth chooses to keep silent on peoples’ issues, who else will stand for our country’s patrimony and sovereignty? The youth should be critical and ready to fight for what is for the good of the majority and oppressed,” she added.
The Summit was held to discuss solutions to the current power crisis in Mindanao where many areas are suffering from up to 8 hours of blackout every day due to acute shortage of electricity.
The rallyists said the power crisis is “artificial” to give further justification to the privatization of power sources.
Aquino said he would release some P2.6 billion for the rehabilitation of the hydro-power plants in Mindanao.
“These are costs all of us must share. And your administration is doing its part. We are putting our money where our mouth is. We are setting aside almost P2.6 billion for the large-scale rehabilitation of Agus 6, which has been neglected for the past 59 years. This is a plant that was designed to operate for only thirty years, and yet we have used it for twice as long. This rehabilitation is long overdue,” he said.
The Department of Energy also instructed the National Power Corporation to come up with full study on how much and how long it will take to rehabilitate the Agus and Pulangi hydro-power facilities to reach its installed capacity.
”We are not without fault. We failed in executing our plans. This is not the President’s failure,” said Energy Secretary Rene Almendras.
Peace advocate Father Angel Calvo called on political leaders to be honest. “While our leaders are talking and promising once more the solutions of all problems, businesses deteriorate and the people suffer the damage of hours without electricity. Be honest political leaders,” he said.
Jorge Madlos, spokesman for the National Democratic Front in Mindanao, said the Aquino government, despite of its intention to resolve the crisis, can and will never have the rightful solution to the situation in the southern Philippines because it cannot defy the dictates of power and oil companies.
“A power industry that is not truly owned and controlled by the people will only serve the interest of giant monopolies to gain profit, and not to deliver genuine social service. Thanks to Ramos’ Electric Power Industry Reform Act, Mindanao’s power industry is now under the control of private companies, such as the Sy, Aboitiz, Alcantara-Dominguez, and Lopez groups – all of which have their imperialist counterparts.”
“They have control over the generation and distribution of power in the island. The obviously contrived power shortage in the island works in favour of satisfying the insatiable lust of these groups for profit, at the very expense of the people,” he said.
He said even if alternative sources of energy, such as wind, solar or hydro-power are tapped, these too will also be subjected to the monopolistic control of big foreign capitalists.
Madlos said Henry Sy, the country’s wealthiest man and owner of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, is seen to make a killing “in his obsession to completely monopolize the entire power industry in the island.”
“Sy, through the NGCP, can dominate power generation, transmission and distribution, and even take over in the retailing of electricity, thereby spelling the eventual nullity of electric cooperatives,” he said.
Madlos, said their part, the NDFP in Mindanao, is pushing for the establishment of a pro-people power industry based on genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization, which can only be possible under a truly independent and sovereign people’s democratic government.
“It aims to fully tap the potentials of other safe and renewable energy sources that will benefit the people, and not the whims of the monopolistic, exploitative and oppressive few,” he said. “Let us militantly demand for a power industry that will uncompromisingly serve the interest of the people, and not of the imperialists and its big bourgeois comprador cohorts.” (Mindanao Examiner)
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