Iloilo guv may now start legal action over power blackouts

ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. may now file charges in relation to the power blackouts that occurred in April 2023 and January 2024.

On Marc h 12 , the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) approved the urgent letter request of Defensor seeking authority to represent the province of Iloilo in filing cases in court and/ or any government agencies i n relation to the two incidents of power blackout.

Although Defensor’s letter did not specify the targets of the cases to be filed, in previous interviews he said the filing of charges aimed to seek redress to the damage caused by the blackouts, and he singled out the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

Iloilo City reported almost P2 billion in economic losses while the province, P3.7 billion from the Jan. 2-2, 2024 blackout.

As for what charges would be filed, Defensor said the Provincial Legal Office would finalize these.

Other requests of Defensor that the SP approved were the following:

* to attend mediation proceedings, judicial dispute resolution, preliminary conferences, pre-trials, trials, or any stage of the proceedings and receive notices, summons, and other court processes and to testify on behalf of the province of Iloilo, introduce documentary evidence/s, and present other witnesses

*to sign, negotiate, conclude, enter into, and execute a compromise agreement or amicable settlement of the case/cases, under terms and conditions deemed just and reasonable

*to agree on the simplification of the issues * to amend the pleadings * to do and agree on such other matter as may aid in the prompt disposition of the action

*to sign pleadings, motions, documents, papers, and perform other acts or things

During a meeting called by Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas with Panay energy stakeholders on March 7 at the Iloilo City Hall Penthouse, Defensor stressed that the problem of power outage “is a matter of national emergency” and should be addressed in the most practical terms.

“We are very concerned because power is one of the fundamentals that the government should deliver to our constituents,” Defensor said.

The governor was a resource speaker in two separate hearings conducted by the Committee on Energy of the House of Representatives and Senate concerning the power blackout in Panay Island in January.

“We in Iloilo and the rest of Region 6 are positioning to take legal recourse to vindicate the rights of our people and so that they can be compensated for the damage done and more importantly to exert the strongest pressure so that the blackout will not happen again,” Defensor told legislators./