Manila: Philippine lawmakers said they would support a request by President Benigno Aquino for emergency powers for him to solve a looming energy crisis in northern Luzon in 2015.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the majority of members of the House of Representatives would “willingly grant” emergency powers to Aquino, adding that other wary congressmen would be persuaded to do the same.

Meanwhile, five senators — Sonny Angara, Francis Escudero, JV Ejercito, Grace Poe, and Ralph Recto — expressed early support for Aquino’s request.

“The impending power shortage must be solved for industries to thrive and to create jobs for Filipinos,” said Senator Angara, who requested Aquino to ensure that any contracts forged will not be onerous to the government and Filipino people.

“It should not worsen the power rate in the Philippines, which is one of the highest in Asia,” said Angara.

Senator Escudero, chair of the senate finance committee said: “I am willing to support the president’s request as long as he can ensure adequate safeguards such as transparency and accountability clauses in the contracts that the government will forge with companies for more power supply.”

“We must be assured that President Aquino will not abuse his emergency powers,” Senator Ejercito said.

“Providing enough source of power for everyone should not burden consumers. How this can be done by President Aquino must be discussed immediately,” said Senator Poe.

Recto, the Senate President Pro Tempore, advised Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla to help explain the basis of Aquino’s request for emergency powers.

Analysts said that Aquino will succeed in getting emergency powers because he controls the two houses of Congress.

Meanwhile, the presidential palace released to the public on Tuesday Aquino’s letter to House Speaker Belmonte Jr. and Senate President Franklin Drilon dated September 12, in which he asked for emergency powers from both houses of Congress.

“In accordance with the country’s Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), I seek the immediate enactment of a joint resolution authorising the President to establish additional generating capacity,” Aquino said in his letter.

The power crisis will be exacerbated by delays in the commissioning of committed power projects, said Aquino, adding that more power is needed in 2015 because of the El Nino phenomenon, which could result in drought and render useless the hydrothermal plants in the Philippines.

“The speedy enactment of the joint resolution will ensure the energy requirements of the country for this critical period — through a specific, focused and targeted acquisition of additional generating capacities for use during the limited periods of time of very tight energy supply,” Aquino explained.

The national government immediately needs additional supply of 600 megawatts to address the shortage of electric power for the summer of 2015 in northern Luzon, said Aquino.

Earlier, he said there must be additional power supply of 1,200 megawatts in the Philippines until 2016, the end of his term.

Former President Corazon Aquino suffered a crippling energy crisis during her rule that began in 1986, after she was propped to power by a people-backed military mutiny that ousted former President Ferdinand Marcos.