A Master Planned Crisis?

by Erick San Juan

Before the turn of the last quarter of 2009, a warning from the Department of Energy through Sec. Angelo Reyes was given to the public of a looming power crisis come 2010. The said warning was brought out by the Secretary during the budget hearing at the House of Representatives, but he didn’t mention about the El Niño phenomenon. He just warned about the shortage of power supply from the existing power plants. He even suggested, at that early stage, that the President can be given emergency powers to prevent a full-blown power crisis by invoking Section 71 of the Republic Act 9136, or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001.

Then came Ondoy and Pepeng, the three major dams overflowed and the alleged “untimely” release of excess water caused a lot of deaths. Several groups questioned the dam operators’ decision of releasing too much water at a time when the provinces were still flooded with heavy rains. Actually, some people claim that the reason for the low level of water supply in our dams today was allegedly caused by too much water released during typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng.

Before the end of 2009, the El Niño scare was made known to the public and we’re all told through the media, that it may cause a shortage of water supply particularly in the Angat reservoir where 97 percent of Metro Manila and nearby towns get its potable water supply. (Only to find out later that Angat dam is up for sale and the last dam owned and operated by the government will be privatized).

But what is this El Niño phenomenon all about?

El Niños, termed by scientists, El Niño Southern Oscillations or ENSOs, are believed by climatologists and astrophysicists to be related to eruptions in solar activity which occur periodically. (Global Warming or Global Freezing: is the ice really melting? By F. William Engdahl)

Dr. Theodor Landscheidt of Canada ’s Schroeter Institute for Research in Cycles of Solar Activity, said ENSO is the “strongest source of natural variability in the global climate system. During the severe ENSO event 1982/1983, when the sea surface off Peru warmed by more than 7° C, it was discovered that there are strong links to weather in other regions as, for instance, floods in California and intensified drought in Africa.”

Landscheidt adds, “El Niño and La Niña are subjected to external forcing by the sun’s varying activity to such a degree that it explains nearly all of ENSO’s irregularities and makes long-range forecasts beyond the 1-year limit possible. This is no mere theory. My forecasts of the last two El Niños turned out correct and that of the last one was made more than two years ahead of the event…” (Ibid)

Me thinks that this El Niño phenomenon can be predicted (as what the above mentioned report says). Our government agencies concerned could have anticipated and made plans to address the effects brought about by this natural event, particularly our source of electricity. If we will look closely, the so called power crisis is brought about by technical and mechanical failures (as what President Arroyo commented) when suddenly several power plants had to shut down due to maintenance works that had lead to rotating brownouts. The citizenry became curious when these power plants closure coincided with Sec. Reyes’s proposal of granting emergency powers to the President to avert a full blown power crisis. Why is the DOE Secretary so eager to push for this emergency power when there are other ways to solve this “crisis”? Is there a hidden agenda behind such proposal? Just asking.

As an observer of day to day events, we cannot helpbut to be cynical towards some government officials who are actually orchestrating events disguised as God save the Queen, when in fact, such situations that they concocted will lead to the Queen’s downfall. Sadly, as they manipulate the scenarios, greedy big business and “foreign hands” conspire, take advantage of the situation and gain profit out of chaos..

We should all be wary and be always prepared for man-made crisis even when all is well, so that we won’t end up wishing in vain for safety when danger befalls…..