A JETTISONED IDEA?

With the threat of yet another power crisis hitting the country, one cannot help but remember that in the days of the Aquino regime, the nation was figuratively and literally in the dark.

Perhaps, one may also recall that an interesting proposal had emerged from a group of middle-level business executives who sat down and discussed the power crisis then. The "bright" idea was to ask the United States to lend one of her nuclear-powered warships, preferably one of those behemoth aircraft carriers like the decommissioned USS Enterprise - to drop anchor in Manila Bay and provide the electricity needed to bring the Metro area back to normal levels.

Fantastic. So how come those highly-paid officials then at the National Power Corporation (Napocor) never thought up this gem of an idea? Was it because there was no money for them in that proposal?

Of course, some wise guys in the Aquino administration then could have waved the Stars and Stripes while howling to high heavens that once again, we will be begging on our knees for US help and surrender our pride to the Yanks. Then, they could have added that this was not a bad idea after all simply because the bases talks were only a few days away.

Shoot. When Mrs. Aquino begged Washington to send in those US Phantom jets to save the day for her government during one of them coups, we lost all our claim to sovereignty and national pride. We might as well go whole hog and ask Uncle Sam this time to send in one of their nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to rescue us from an impending power crisis.

Each floating naval city can carry as much as 5,000 men and can generate enough power to light up a small city like Mandaluyong, and more than enough for the Napocor's 550-megawatt deficit.

And even if Malacanang had been given this clue, the Napocor then insisted on acquiring those gas turbines and generators sold by its former chief's family corporation. This former boss was even bold enough to propose that the country erect new nuclear plants - and never mind if the huge Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) was just sitting idle like a has-been harlot, waiting to be reactivated to supply 600 megawatts to an electricity-starving citizenry.

(Image from http://www.stratfor.com/)