Sen. Raffy Tulfo — Senate Social Media Unit / Joseph Vidal
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Raffy Tulfo on Sunday announced his plan to convene the Joint Congressional Energy Commission (JCEC) to review the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) franchise following a three-day blackout in Western Visayas earlier this month.
Tulfo’s announcement stemmed from the grid operator’s alleged “failure” to fulfill its responsibilities in ensuring a stable power supply and developing the country’s power grid.
“It can be noted that said failure by the NGCP to maintain the stability of the grid led to the recent massive power outage in Western Visayas, which includes Panay Island,” the Senator, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, said in a statement.
He mentioned that it is the consumers who bear the brunt of the additional costs incurred by electric utilities in the aftermath of the recent blackout.
On January 4, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) started its probe on the blackout which lasted from January 2 to 5 and has affected the islands of Panay, Guimaras, and parts of Negros Occidental.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have previously grilled the NGCP over its supposed failure to complete 37 transmission projects to upgrade the country’s power grid.
READ: Franchise loss, class suit eyed vs NGCP
In a Senate hearing on January 10, local Western Visayas leaders including Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas lamented that provinces lost billions of pesos in revenue due to the power outage.
In response, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that officials in the islands of Panay and Negros may file a class suit against the NGCP and other power firms to recuperate their losses.
READ: NGCP defends response to Panay outage, cites ERC rules
NGCP on the other hand, said that the unscheduled maintenance shutdowns of its two energy providers were to blame for the widespread power disruption.
It likewise justified its initial response to the blackout, saying that the transmission system remained normal and stable during the first two-hours of the blackout on January 2.