NGCP laments TRO on Panay-Guimaras project

MANILA, Philippines — The Panay-Guimaras 138-kiloVolt Interconnection project of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has been put on hold following a temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is disheartening as it hinders us from fulfilling our commitment to the residents of the islands of Panay and Guimaras, including fast-developing Iloilo City.

Nevertheless, we steadfastly maintain our dedication to enhancing power transmission within the area despite this setback,” the NGCP said on Thursday.

In September 2022, the NGCP filed an expropriation case to acquire the Iloilo Grain Complex Corporation (IGCC), which was granted by the Iloilo Regional Trial Court, and a Writ of Possession was later issued December 2022.

The IGCC submitted a Motion for Reconsideration in January 2023, which was denied by the regional trial court (RTC).Later, the IGCC brought the RTC decision to the Supreme Court which issued a Temporary Restraining Order in April 2023, preventing the NGCP from executing the Writ of Possession.

According to the NGCP, it has fully complied with the requisites for the WOP, and has reached out to the IGCC for an amicable settlement.

However, the IGCC proposes to reroute through a residential area traversing five households, as opposed to the project’s current route of an open area.

“When we plot the route of our transmission line projects, a major consideration is the existence of structures and residents. We aim to traverse areas that will cause least destruction to property, and result in the least number of persons displaced,” NGCP said.

“In the interest of the public’s convenience and the continuing growth of Iloilo, we will do what we can to push the immediate completion of this critical project,” it added.

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