House Speaker Prospero Nograles on Wednesday urged the government to make use of the P500-million emergency fund earmarked specifically for “the anticipated” power shortage in Mindanao, saying the availability of the fund makes it unnecessary for President Arroyo to exercise special powers to address the electricity crisis.

He said the fund is there because he personally caused its inclusion in this year’s national budget “in anticipation” of power shortage in the south. He noted that the emergency fund was appropriated to the National Electrification Administration.

“The power crisis in Mindanao was already foreseen by the National Power Corp. as early as 2006,” he said.

He, thus, said they in the lower house are now trying to figure out ways to solve the Mindanao problem using the fund.

“We are now studying the feasibility of deploying two 30 MW generators to mitigate the power crisis brought about by the El Niño phenomenon,” Nograles said.

He said he is positive that President Arroyo will, in a matter of time, release said amount “as a safeguard or buffer for the impending power crisis.”

“As Speaker and a Mindanaoan, I could not sit idly by waiting for the Department of Energy to solve the problem. That is why I initiated this appropriation as a safeguard measure,” Nograles added.

Considering that this year the country will have its first ever automated elections, Nograles said he deemed it timely and necessary to appropriate the money as an emergency measure.

Mindanao, he pointed out, is powered primarily by hydro-electric plants from Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon.

“With El Niño, the low water levels can force a temporary shutdown of the plants halting economic activities in Mindanao and pose problems for the conduct of elections in May. This is the last thing the people would want to experience,” Nograles said.