San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; April 2015 — Residents of Occidental Mindoro, an off-grid island province currently rocked by severe power outages, have launched an online petition urging Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petillla and the Department of Energy Consumer Welfare Promotion Office to look into the worsening brownout situation in the province, which reached 16 hours Monday last week. The petition seeks help in in finding the answer to the “burning million peso question: why we have been enduring these 6-12 hour brownouts for 17 years and counting?” The Change.org petition is spearheaded by “100% Brownout-Free Occidental Mindoro” (100% BFOM) – a non-partisan public movement formed to peacefully find solutions to the current power crisis in Occidental Mindoro. 100% BFOM, composed of “business owners, educators, and concerned citizens” simultaneously launched an information campaign through social media called #wantedILAW to raise awareness of the plight of the people in Occidental Mindoro. Petitioner James Devonshire posted, “I’m signing this petition because I’m sick and tired of the disgraceful power situation here in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.” According to to netizens, long-time residents, and members of groups like Sablayan Opinion Board, Unlad Occidental Mindoro, Sulong Occidental Mindoro E-Movement, Inc., the rotating brownouts are mainly caused by “patronage politics.” 100% BFOM petition states that the power shortage for the past 17 years is caused by the “culture of impunity that has prevented the residents of Occidental Mindoro from gaining access to stable, reliable, and affordable electricity.” In its petition, 100% BFOM cited an article by Atty. Harry Roque, a law professor from the University of the Philippines, entitled “Why access to electricity is a human right.” The petition further adds, “ACCESS TO ELECTRICITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT THAT HAS BEEN VIOLATED IN OCCIDENTAL MINDORO WITH IMPUNITY.” Petitioner Russel Cajayon posted, “Sa Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro ang mas malawak at matagal ang blackout kumpara sa iba pang lalawigan dito sa Occidental sapagkat wala ni isang pinagkukunan ng enerhiya ng kuryente di kagaya ng ibang lugar… kaya nagiging brutal ang nararamdaman ng bawat isa sa amin dito sa Sablayan.Tinanggalan kami ng karapatan mabuhay ng matiwasay…” Janice Punongbayan, an OFW based in Hong Kong posted, “As an OFW, communication is very important to me..but because of this power issue I can’t talk to my family regularly..which makes me worried all the time… My prayer for the success of this petition..” Mike Dy posted, “I came from Mamburao, Occ. Mindoro’s capital.. but because of very poor electricity, our town doesn’t look like a town’s capital.. it’s time to end this.” A case is currently filed in the courts of San Jose to rescind a contract between Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) and independent power producer Island Power Corp. (IPC) that has allowed the IPC, despite failing to produce electricity for almost two decades, to block the entry of other independent power producers in Occidental Mindoro. One of the petitioners, Jojo Lontoc of Dubai, posted, “Pls ‏Speed up decisions on CIVIL CASE NO. R-1681 OMECO Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative VS IPC Island Power Corporation (RTC BRANCH 45 SAN JOSE OCCIDENTAL MINDORO).” Dinez Carnay, currently based in London, posted, “The fate of the residents lies just in the hands of FEW incompetent officials who are either tied up with legal battle. OMECO being very poor in communications and other officials who doesn’t seem to know what to do.” She further added, “Do not visit San Jose during Fiesta as you will not see the true state of the town.” The fiesta and founding anniversary of San Jose is observed on May 1. Occidental Mindoro has a population of approximately 453,000 people, making it the country’s 21st least populated province, and is ranked the 18th poorest province in the Philippines. READ HERE: http://dulangan.com/occidental-mindoro-residents-launch-online-petition-brownouts-culture-impunity/