TRANSCRIPT OF SEN. GRACE POE'S OPENING STATEMENT
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY PUBLIC HEARING
MAY 17, 2023

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to thank our chairperson for heeding to our call to investigate this matter.

In the beginning, I was very concern about my Kasimanwa in Panay Island because of the power outages there, but of course, we also have the ones in Mindoro.

The urgency cannot be disregarded - lalo na sa gitna ng tumataas na heat index. Umaabot tayo ng 50 degrees Celsius kahapon sa ibang parte ng bansa. These recurring and more frequent power outages are unacceptable. Electricity should provide comfort and convenience, hindi paghihirap.

Reliability is a big commitment in the provision of public service. Kailangan ay maasahan ka ng mga tao sa lahat ng oras, whatever the circumstances are. Thus, it should be the responsibility of our public service providers to ensure that proper measures are in place and upgrades are implemented to continuously improve the reliability of the system. As you know, the NGCP is a franchisee under Republic Act No. 9511. It has a commitment to support safe and reliable operation of the transmission system in the Philippines. The weight of its responsibility is heaviest being the sole operator - ang tanging inaasahan natin. So kung hindi gumagana, kung nasira, kung hindi nag-o-operate, wala tayong kuryente. And as I have repeatedly reiterated, a franchise is a privilege, specially pag natural monopoly na binigay sa iisang kumpanya ang operation. Kalakip nito ang malaking responsibilidad na pagsilbihan ang publiko at sa oras na hindi ito magampanan nang maayos, maari itong bawiin. Hindi naman natin sinasabing babawiin agad, pero ang mga tanong, bakit ilang taon na walang audit sa performance ng NGCP. So I would just like to remind you, we're not making a unilateral conclusion here without further studies, but RA 9511 is clear, that in a franchise we may amend , we may alter and we may repeal your franchise if it is for the common good.

In this light, through this hearing, we want to determine if NGCP has remained faithful to its commitments under its franchise and ascertain if there are any violations. And from there, we will decide what our next steps with the public in mind and with the assurance that there will be no hindrance to the continuous provision of electricity in the Philippines. Thank you, Mr. Chair.