Stop blame game on Mindanao blackout, Palace tells DOE, NPC

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Stop finger-pointing, Malacañang said Sunday, as the National Power Corporation (NPC) belied the Department of Energy’s (DOE) explanation on the recent Mindanao blackout.

“It is not the time to blame others. What we need is cooperation to find a solution,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said during a Palace press briefing.

The Secretary said both the DOE and the NPC are doing their best to address the power situation in Mindanao.

Mindanao experienced a 32-hour blackout last week.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said it was caused by a breakdown of old equipment that triggered the automatic shutdown of a government-owned hydropower plant in Lanao del Sur.

However, NPC told media that is not the case since the breaker of Unit 1 and 2 Agus Hydroelectric Power Plant was already off before the power outage happened.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has yet to issue a statement on the cause of the blackout.

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