Senator Raffy Tulfo said he plans to convene the Joint Congressional Energy Commission (JCEC) to review and decide on the amendment or cancellation of the franchise of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
Tulfo, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, made the announcement following the NGCP’s reported failures to fulfill its responsibilities and obligations in operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid.
It can be noted that said failure by the NGCP to maintain the stability of the grid led to the recent massive power outage in Western Visayas, which includes Panay Island.
During the Senate hearing Jan. 10, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, Gov. Arthur Defensor and Guimaras Gov. Joaquin Nava lamented that the critical establishments in their province were affected due to blackouts.
The officials further said billions of pesos were lost in their economy due to the NGCP’s lapses.
Tulfo said that consumers are the ones suffering from the collateral cost of electric utilities due to the recent incidents.
Likewise, Tulfo cited that among the glaring lapses of NGCP are its absence of timely information dissemination to government agencies as per policy or regulations and its failure to communicate with immediate stakeholders such as electric utilities.
Due to the questionable competency of NGCP as a grid operator, Tulfo reiterated that it is about time to cancel its franchise.