Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 15) — Both houses of Congress were urged on Monday to hold inquiries into the series of disturbances in the country’s power transmission system in the hopes of ensuring a reliable and continuous electricity supply.
Senator Win Gatchalian, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Energy, filed Senate Resolution No. 607, which seeks to hold those responsible for the successive power transmission disturbances in the past weeks accountable.
“[It] caused inconvenience to communities and losses to businesses. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) as the operator of the transmission system in the country should be held to account for the root cause of these disturbances,” Gatchalian said.
The NGCP on May 8 reported red and yellow alerts in the Luzon grid after five power plants went on forced outage while three others ran on derated capacities. This resulted in rotational brownouts that affected about 300,000 customers of Meralco in parts of Metro Manila, Rizal, and Cavite.
Gatchalian also noted that NGCP reported a system disturbance in the Visayas grid last April 27, leading to power interruptions that lasted up to 12 hours, which persisted until April 30 in the islands of Panay, Guimaras, and Negros, affecting over 1.5 million households.
The senator said the NGCP is mandated to operate and maintain the transmission system, grid, and related facilities at all times in accordance with industry standards.
Senator Raffy Tulfo, who heads the energy panel, said he also filed a similar resolution.
The Makabayan bloc also filed House Resolution 971 to investigate the red and yellow power alerts in aid of legislation.
\”Dapat talagang maimbestigahan ito at mapanagot ang may kasalanan dahil kada summer na lang ay ganito ang nangyayari at di nila sinosolusyonan. Dahil na din siguro sa kumikita ang mga power players sa ganitong modus,\” said ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said.
[Translation: We need to investigate this and hold them accountable. We face this problem every summer and it doesn’t get fixed. Maybe power players are earning from this modus.]
The Department of Energy last week said more yellow alerts — or when power reserves fall below the ideal levels — could be potentially raised throughout May.
Worries over NGCP’s foreign ownership
Senate Committee on Energy member Sen. Grace Poe said the panel will thoroughly scrutinize the performance of NGCP to know if it has remained faithful to its franchise or if it has committed violations.
JV Ejercito, another member of the panel, expressed concern over the stake of a Chinese company in NGCP amid Manila’s rising tension with Beijing in the West Philippine Sea.
The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) has a 40 percent stake in NGCP, while 60 percent belongs to Filipino firms.
But Ejercito doesn’t buy it, saying it could lead to paralyzed operations. He stressed that the Philippine government should have full control of the country’s power grids.
\”May info na kahit 40% lang sila, sila na ang nagko-control… At present kasi may dispute tayo with China. Red alert, yellow alert, baka practice ito. Sana hindi,\” he said in a media briefing.
\”We have to find ways. We are talking about national interest, maraming paraan naman siguro na itong vital entities that has national security issue have to remain at PH control,\” he added.
[Translation: There is information that even if they only own 40%, they are already controlling it… Presently, we have a dispute with China. Maybe the red and yellow alerts are a practice. But I hope that’s not the case. There are a lot of ways to ensure that vital entities that have national security issues will remain under the control of the government.]
Sen. Risa Hontiveros echoed Ejercito’s remark as she renewed her call for the Philippines to reclaim its control of the NGCP from China.
“Based on expert testimony submitted during earlier Senate investigations, China acquired the upper hand in regulating the system functioning of the grid because it owns 40% of the consortium,” Hontiveros said.
The NGCP told CNN Philippines in 2019 that SGCC’s role is limited to that of an investor, with board seats corresponding to its stake in the company. It added that it was necessary to include a foreign technical partner in the consortium that operates it.
CNN Philippines correspondent Eimor Santos contributed to this report.
