Sen. Risa Hontiveros (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros shot down “self-serving” claims by National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) that China cannot control the country’s power transmission system even if it owns a 40-percent stake in NGCP.
In a statement, Hontiveros refused to be calmed by the assurance given by NGCP officials that the country’s power management is within the total control of Filipinos. “National security should not, or cannot be privatized, or worse, be under the control of an alien or a foreign country. It is the function of our government,” Hontiveros added.
The senator made the statement to rebut pronouncements by NGCP that its power transmission system is secure from any attempt to shut it down.
National Grid Corp. of the Philippines spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza dismissed fears that the State Grid Corp. of China, which owns a 40-percent stake in the corporation, can remotely shut down the system in retaliation in the event the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China goes overboard.
Alabanza said NGCP’s power transmission is a stand-alone system that is not connected to the internet, and thus, cannot be controlled remotely.