Sen. Tolentino to NGCP: Amplify transparency on power outages

MANILA -- Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino underscored on Wednesday that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) must be transparent and accountable regarding outages.

During the Senate Committee on Energy hearing on recurring Panay blackouts, Tolentino highlighted NGCP's alleged violation of its franchise law.

"The bottom line here is Section 2 of RA 9511, what is required by 'the common good.' Ano po ba yung kailangan ng mga kababayan natin sa Panay? Kailangan po ba silang abisuhan? Kailangan po ba silang sabihan kung kailan mare-restore ang elektrisidad?" Tolentino queried.

Republic Act (RA) 9511 is the law providing NGCP the franchise to engage in business of conveying or transmitting electricity.

"NGCP's failure to immediately acknowledge the shortcomings in managing the Panay power outage further erodes trust and raises concerns about their commitment to transparency in addressing systems issues within their operations," Sen. Tol further noted.

The senator also urged the stakeholders present during the said probe to amplify its transparency efforts for its users.

"Iyon po siguro yung hinihintay at hinihiling nung ating mga kababayan nung napakahirap na tatlo o apat na araw na nagdaan nung Enero," Tolentino said.

Senator Tolentino is among the senators who filed a resolution for the extensive inquiry on the recurring blackouts in Panay provinces which happened last April 2023 and recurred last 2 January.