Iloilo lost P3.8B due to blackouts — governor

ILOILO has suffered about P3.8 billion in economic losses due to the recent four-day blackout in Western Visayas, which lawmakers are looking into, according to Governor Arthur R. Defensor, Jr.

At a Senate energy committee hearing looking into the two blackouts since Jan. 2, Mr. Defensor said the Iloilo government is eyeing legal action against agencies found liable for the power failure.

Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo P. Treñas told the same hearing that the city has lost about P500 million a day or about P2 billion in the four days without power.

“I am angry for the suffering of our beloved Ilonggos and the rest of Western Visayas, the people affected by this region-wide power outage,” the mayor told the hearing.

Senators had urged the Nation Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the Department of Energy (DoE) to be more transparent and to accept accountability for the blackouts.

“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,” said Senator Francis N. Tolentino in his opening statement at the hearing.

In a separate statement, the NGCP said it had followed Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) protocols when it responded to the multiple plant shutdowns in Panay, adding it did not observe abnormalities in the power system.

Citing the Philippine Grid Code, the NGCP said when there are unplanned outages of a plant, but the system is considered stable, the power transmission operator is not allowed to impose “manual corrective actions,” in anticipation of another blackout or outage.

“It only means that disengaging loads manually or disconnecting thousands of households from their supply of power, as recommended by the DoE and the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines, in anticipation of a subsequent grid event, is prohibited under the rules,” it said.

“We (NGCP) strictly abide by the rules to run the grid smoothly and avoid disturbances,” it added. —