“PIPOL’S
POWER” CAMPAIGN
BACKGROUND
The
government’s solution to the power crisis in Mindanao is the privatization of
the Agus Pulangui Hydropower Complex.
Although the privatization and sale of the complex have been deferred
through a Congressional resolution, President Aquino has repeatedly said that
only the privatization of the Agus Pulangui can provide reliable energy for
Mindanao. At the Mindanao Power Summit,
Mindanao groups reached a consensus that Agus Pulangui should not be sold to
private interests because it will result in the inevitable increase in the cost
of power in Mindanao.
THE OBJECTIVE
To pressure
President Aquino not to sell Agus Pulangui to private interests by mobilizing
the people to “buy” the Agus Pulangui Hydropower Complex themselves.
THE CAMPAIGN
Ask for a
pledge from each Mindanaon so that a total of one billion pesos is collected
for a seed fund. Since the population of Mindanao (women, men and children) is
projected as 21 million, each one should pledge at least P50 to be able to
total PhP 1 billion.
Because we
will accept pledges online, we can also target the Mindanaons abroad. Some
people, of course, will pledge more.
There will
be two tracks for getting the pledges in: online and at pledging
stations.
Online the
campaign will be on facebook, twitter, youTube and SMS.
Offline,
there will be pledging stations. At the beginning of the campaign, we will need
volunteers to set up pledging stations in their offices, schools, hospitals,
even houses.
A bracelet
will be given to each person who gives a pledge. This will be a visible sign of how many
people are already involved in the campaign, thus providing the “pressure”
needed to make it succeed and to make
the President realize how much support there is for non-privatization.
A website
will be set up. Among others, it will
have the designs of all resource materials - poster, buttons, tarps, t- shirts,
etc. - for volunteers to download. A Primer on the Mindanao Power Crisis will
also be posted on the site.
The campaign
will be launched the "Pipol's Power Campaign" in Iligan on Saturday,
May 5. The backdrop will be the Maria Cristina Falls. Women and children will lead the campaign to
save the Agus-Pulangui for the people’s benefit now and in the future.
Our aim is
to form a Steering Committee for the campaign in every city and province in
Mindanao. Cagayan de Oro and Davao are
already in the process of establishing their committees. Chambers of commerce, eletric cooperatives,
environment groups, the diocesan social action centers, etc. are being invited
to join,
The Mindanao
Commission on Women has agreed to be the secretariat of the campaign but we
will need thousands of volunteers to make the campaign a solid success!
This is
about people’s outrage expressed through PIPOL’S POWER!
SECRETARIAT
c/o Irene M.
Santiago (0917 811 0386)
irenesantiago@yahoo.com
Mindanao
Commission on Women
121
University Avenue
Juna
Subdivision, Matina
Davao City
Telefax: 082 298 4031
Telephone: 082 298 4032
email: mcw@mindanaowomen.org
website: www.mindanaowomen.org
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