Poe says routine blackouts in Panay must not become a norm

Sen. Grace Poe Senate PRIB file photo / Bibo Nueva España

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Grace Poe said on Thursday that routine electrical blackouts in Western Visayas must not become a norm.

This came after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced that another manual load dropping (MLD) may cause a power outage in Western Visayas, particularly in the Panay area.

“The rotational blackout in parts of Western Visayas must be addressed before darkness engulfs the region anew,” Poe said.

The senator also called on the NGCP to solve the power problem in the region. On Wednesday, the NGCP conducted an unscheduled MLD, which caused a power outage in the Negros and Panay sub-grid.

“It’s imperative for the NGCP, private firms, and other concerned agencies to work double time to stem the problem, whether on the supply, generation, or transmission side, to avert a repeat of the recent power outage,” she added.

Poe, who is the Senate Committee head on Public Services, added that another outage is being experienced once more by the people even as the investigation on the blackout that struck Panay Island from January 2 to 5 is still ongoing.

READ: NGCP: Brace for another possible power outage in Panay

“Hindi pa natatapos ang imbestigasyon sa nakaraang blackout, at hindi pa napapanagot ang mga responsable, meron na namang outage,” she said.

(The investigation on the recent blackout is still ongoing, and those responsible are not being held accountable, and there is another outage.)

READ: ERC starts probe on Panay blackout

“The rolling blackouts must not be the way of life for our people,” she concluded.