System operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) expressed its willingness to work with the current leadership in the energy sector, primarily on the warranted procurement of reserves for the reliable operations of the power system, if vested interests and fairness will be upheld in the industry.

“We are not unwilling to work with the industry leadership if vested interests are set aside, and fairness made to prevail. We are still hopeful that national economic recovery and energy stability will be prioritized above self-interest,” the transmission firm has emphasized in a media statement.

NGCP made that pronouncement after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) imposed a penalty of P5.1 million on the company, “for not complying with the circular of the Department of Energy (DOE) requiring procurement of reserves.” The ERC ruling is on top of its warning on the revocation of NGCP's franchise.

The transmission company, nevertheless, narrated that in a courtesy call by NGCP Board Vice Chairman and majority shareholder Henry Sy Jr. and President Anthony Almeda to Energy Secretary Raphael P. M. Lotilla two months ago, the issue on submissions relating to the ancillary services-competitive selection process (AS-CSP) “was raised by the Secretary and the appropriate submissions to the DOE were made within hours of that first meeting. As if timed to the hour, the ERC show cause was issued the very next day.”

NGCP said its alleged "willful disregard” on required publication relating to the power reserves bidding and contracting “has to be put in the proper context, and our acts shouldn't be taken in isolation.”

The company expounded “we were wary and defensive, given the overtly biased and intrusive political atmosphere prevailing at the time. The relentless attacks we suffered, and the fault finding where there was no fault to be found was a clear indication to us that this, and other contemporaneous moves undertaken by certain players in the industry, were part of a larger, orchestrated plan to put their economic interests above ours, even at the expense of the consumers.”

The ERC, in particular, had issued “stern warning to NGCP that its non-compliance with laws, rules, orders, and regulations issued by authorities may result to the cancellation of its Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) and the endorsement by the ERC to the Philippine Congress of the revocation of its legislative franchise.”

The regulatory body added “no amount of monetary penalty can sufficiently equate to or compensate for the willful disregard by NGCP of validly issued regulations of the Philippine government and its administrative agencies.”

In its ruling issued on October 24 this year relating to reserves contracting, the ERC rendered that “NGCP’s failure to submit to the DOE its TOR (terms of reference) and ITB (invitation to bid) as one violation and its failure to publish and maintain on its website the ‘invitation to bid’ without the prior DOE approval of the TOR and ITB, another violation.”

In view of such turn of events, NGCP deemed that “duplicity is still the name of the game, and we are still dealing with the same economically motivated political maneuvers.”

The company similarly stated that “the common backgrounds in the leadership are not by coincidence, they are clearly by design.”

And while it echoed the campaign battle cry as well as the "promise of unity" of the Marcos administration, NGCP expressed hope that “the current crop of executive appointees in the energy industry heed this call, and do right by their President.”