Unsatisfied by the “shallow” probe conducted by the National Electrification Administration, Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a Senate resolution for a deeper investigation into the frequent power outages in Palawan.
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, said Palawan residents suffered through an average of 13 brownout hours during 10 power interruptions per month in the first six months of this year.
He said the Senate must exercise its oversight powers to hold stakeholders accountable and finally put an end to this mess.
His proposed measure, Senate Resolution No. 470, directs the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the matter, puts under scrutiny the compliance of the Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco) with the Epira Law (Republic Act No. 9136) and the performance of NEA as the regulator of electric cooperatives under Republic Act No. 10531.
In a formal dialogue held by the Energy Committee with Paleco, NEA, and private energy stakeholders last August 3, it was discovered that the frequent brownouts in Puerto Princesa City were caused by the inability of DMCI Power Corp. to provide 25 megawatts of electricity pledged under its 2012 power supply agreement with Paleco. As a result, the committee directed NEA to conduct an investigation into the matter.
However, the resolution states that the August 11, 2017 report submitted by NEA upon the conclusion of its investigation was “unsatisfactory as it failed to provide new information and specific action steps to put a stop to Palwan’s frequent brownouts.”