Are we in a power crisis? Lawmakers want to know from energy execs

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives independent bloc said it would invite energy officials to the floor to grill them about the tight power supply in the country.

In a statement on Tuesday, the independent minority bloc said it would invite the Department of Energy, National Power Corporation and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

The bloc made the statement amid a shortage of power supply in Luzon, causing scheduled brownouts in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

Visayas is also set to suffer a power shortage after three power plants underwent maintenance shutdowns.

“We want to hear it straight from them. Are we in a power crisis or not? How stable really is the supply?” the bloc said.

The bloc also said it wants to know how government is solving the power crisis in Mindanao, which is dependent on hydropower that becomes short every dry season.

The bloc added it wants to ask government on the measures to resolve the continued drop of water levels in major dams.

“The people must know what, if any, has been or is being done by the government and who exactly are the persons who should be held accountable,” they said.

“Otherwise, this could only be a grand conspiracy among the power generation firms and distributors to justify their petition for another rate increase,” they added, referring to alleged collusion among power players to jack up the cost of electricity.

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