Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 21) — The local government of Occidental Mindoro reminded President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of his campaign promise to end the power crisis in the province as it sought the aid of Malacañang and national agencies in solving the daily brownouts suffered by its residents.
A state of calamity was declared in the province on April 20 due to power outages of 16-20 hours every day. In early April, classes were suspended for three days because of the supply shortages.
“Patuloy po tayong humihiling sa mga National Government Agencies (NGAs) na may kapangyarihan patungkol sa kuryente at mga kinauukulan, gaya ng nauna nating naipadalang sulat kay Pangulong Bongbong Marcos upang pumagitna sa ating laban na maresolba ang krisis ng kuryente sa ating lalawigan,” Occidental Mindoro Gov. Eduardo Gadiano said on April 19.
[Translation: We continue to call on NGAs with influence over electricity to intervene in our battle to resolve the power crisis in our province in the same way that we first called on President Marcos.]
Power dilemma
Gadiano noted that the “power dilemma” is primarily a result of the province’s insufficient energy supply and its disconnection from the main grid, worsened by a conflict between the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) and the Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corporation (OMCPC).
In 2021, a Competitive Selection Process (CSP) led to the awarding of power supply service by distribution utility OMECO to supplier OMCPC.
Because of a delay in the completion of the CSP, he said the Energy Regulatory Commission meted OMECO a penalty to pay 50% of the amount of the subsidy due to OMCPC, a move OMECO contested.
Daily power outages stem from a lack of fuel to operate OMCPC power plants. It also lacks funds to purchase more fuel because OMECO and the NPC have not yet paid out subsidies to the supplier, Gadiano said.
On April 12, Gadiano pleaded with the National Power Corporation (NPC) to augment the province’s power supply through “regeneration” of the 10 MW (megawatt) Pulang Lupa Power Plant in San Jose town.
However, the NPC denied this request, citing funding deficits brought about by the fuel price hikes. It also said that eight of its power barges were fully utilized in other provinces and that pulling one out would disrupt power in its respective area.
It added that it could help the province by facilitating regular monthly payments to the OMCPC, allowing them to purchase fuel and to undertake emergency procurement of additional capacities.
In a viber message to CNN Philippines, Department of Energy (DOE) Usec. Rowena Guevara said the DOE and its attached agencies — the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and NPC — in coordination with the Energy Regulatory Commission “are providing assistance and guidance” to OMECO to improve power services in the province.
Marcos’ promises to the province
Marcos, during his presidential campaign in the 2022 elections, vowed to the people of Occidental Mindoro that his administration would address their power outage problems.
Gadiano, in a letter to Marcos dated April 3, pointed out the president’s campaign promises and asked for his intervention.
In the 2022 polls, 123,387 voters — or 48.82% of those who participated in the election in the province — voted for Marcos.
CNN Philippines has sought comment from Malacañang, and the Senate Committee on Energy on the Occidental Mindoro power crisis. They have yet to respond.
The DOE also said it “issued a Certification of Exemption from the conduct of CPS in the procurement of electricity supply to augment the current power capacity being supplied by OMCPC.”
“NEA, on its part is assisting OMECO in its search for available generator sets while NPC is prioritizing the release of the Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification subsidy to OMCPC,” Guevara added.
