Thu, March 11, 2010
COTABATO, Philippines, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday declared state of calamity in the southern Philippines.
But Arroyo's spokesperson, Ricardo Saludo, has ruled out any price cap on oil prices.
Saludo said the President is expected to sign the draft proclamation on Friday before it would be released.
The government was banking on Arroyo to declare a state of calamity to help solve the worsening power situation on the island, which has been hit by brownouts lasting eight to 10 hours a day.
This would allow the national and local governments to access calamity funds and quickly procure generators to ease the power shortage.
The El Nino-induced dry spell has reduced generation of hydropower, a key energy source in Mindanao. This has led to several blackouts in the area.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecast that the El Nino will remain until June.
