DAVAO CITY – the Department of Energy (DOE) continues its efforts in informing power stakeholders of the solutions being put in place by the government regarding the Mindanao power situation as it supports the Mindanao Development Authority in conducting the first ever, “Mindanao Power Summit” in Davao City on Friday (April 13).

The Summit will serve as a venue to present the overview of the real Mindanao power situation, generate and discuss consensus attendant to the power problem and the corresponding immediate solutions, and assure the general public of definitive measures taken not just by the government but also by the power stakeholders. President Benigno Aquino III is set to attend the event.

"What we will do tomorrow is we will try to present solutions and hear the comments and suggestions on how we can improve the solutions and make things work within the reality that there are existing laws and guidelines that needs to be followed and knowing that if we overdo something today, we may create a bigger problem in the future," Energy Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras explains.

"The instruction of the president is very clear, let’s try to solve the problem to act as fast as we can but we have to make sure that we would not jeopardize the situation," he adds.

Prior to this event, the DOE conducted a Stakeholders’ Meeting in Davao last week with support from NEA, NPC, PSALM, TransCo, NGCP, PEMC, and PIA, wherein discussions on the power situation, challenges and doable solutions in the short- to long-term are made. 250 participants from distribution utilities, power generators, industries/business representatives, LGUs, government agencies, academe attended the said meeting.