Yamsuan urges Meralco to exercise ‘extraordinary diligence’ as Naia’s power distributor

Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (middle) chatting with House of Representatives colleague Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez.

MANILA, Philippines — Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan has reminded the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) that it should exercise “extraordinary diligence” as the power distributor of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) following its admission that a “procedural lapse” by one of its personnel led to yet another power outage at the Naia Terminal 3 last Friday.

Yamsuan stated that aside from Meralco’s contractual obligations with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to provide electricity to Naia, the power distribution company has a greater responsibility to the people it serves due to its status as a public utility.

READ: Naia Terminal 3: Power outage strikes again

“Lubhang pag-iingat o extraordinary diligence ang dapat na hindi makalimutan ng Meralco pagdating sa pagbibigay ng serbisyo sa publiko. Meralco is a business imbued with public interest. It cannot be lax or reckless in doing its job,” Yamsuan emphasized.

(Extreme caution or extraordinary diligence should not be forgotten by Meralco when it comes to providing services to the public. Meralco is a business imbued with the public interest. It cannot be lax or reckless in doing its job.)

Meralco issued a public apology over the weekend after admitting that an employee of Meralco Energy Inc. (MServ) accidentally caused the 37-minute power outage at Naia 3 on June 9.

MServ, a wholly owned subsidiary of Meralco, was conducting tests on Naia 3’s electrical facilities when one of its employees unintentionally left grounding conductors attached to electrical equipment, resulting in the outage that started at 12:50 p.m. and lasted until 1:29 p.m.

While seven flights were delayed due to the power interruption, no cancellations were reported.

Yamsuan expressed doubt that an apology would be sufficient if it were proven that the “procedural lapse” resulted from Meralco’s negligence or failure to exercise extraordinary diligence, as it could be held liable under the law.

According to the New Civil Code provisions, an establishment or enterprise is responsible for damages caused by their employees “on the occasion of their functions.”

“We have been pointing fingers at MIAA officials and holding them accountable for the power outages at the airport during the congressional hearings on this issue. Now that Meralco is at fault, is an apology enough?” Yamsuan questioned.

Earlier this year, the House Committee on Transportation, chaired by Antipolo 2nd District Representative Romeo Acop, conducted several hearings regarding the power outages at Naia on January 1 and Naia Terminal 3 on May 1. Yamsuan is a member of the committee.

The January 1 power outage resulted in the shutdown of the country’s airspace, leaving approximately 65,000 passengers stranded and more than 300 flights grounded. The power interruption on May 1 affected over 9,000 passengers.

Yamsuan acknowledged that the recent power outage at Naia Terminal 3 may not have been as severe as previous incidents, but it has once again tarnished the country’s image before the international community.

During one of the hearings, APEC Party-list Rep. Sergio Dagooc questioned why Meralco service personnel were not on standby at Naia to oversee the power distributor’s substations and ensure uninterrupted electric supply.

Meralco reportedly bills the MIAA approximately P40 million a month for providing electricity to the country’s premier international gateway. Dagooc emphasized that as a significant consumer, the MIAA deserves value-added services from Meralco.

“I agree with our esteemed colleague, Congressman Dagooc, that MIAA should review its agreement with Meralco to ensure that Meralco delivers its services with utmost efficiency,” Yamsuan concluded.