The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) should thoroughly investigate and verify the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) claims they are spending P8.7-billion on janitorial and security services for a purported total of 583 facilities, each costing the company P87,000 per month.

Deputy Minority Leader Sen. Risa Hontiveros insisted on the need to account for such an amount as she questioned the appropriateness of NGCP's P8.7-billion expenditure on janitorial and security services during the Senate deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Energy (DOE) for 2024 last Sept. 29, 2023.

Along with other substantial payments for advertising, entertainment, and corporate social responsibility projects, the senator said this expenditure contributes to the recoverable amounts charged to electricity consumers under the transmission cost.

“Anumang ipinapasa natin sa konsyumer ay dapat nabubusisi ng maigi (Whatever we pass on to consumers should be thoroughly scrutinized),” Hontiveros said.

“Ni hindi nga makapaghire ang konsyumer ng sariling tagalinis o security guard, tapos sa kanila pala ipapasa ang bayarin na ito na dapat ay sa NGCP. Hindi ito patas (Ordinary consumers could not even hire their own cleaners or security guard, and yet they are going to pass these charges that should be shouldered by the NGCP. This is not fair),” she said.

According to the senator, industry sources have been pointing out that NGCP might be maintaining significantly fewer facilities than they reported.

Information reaching her office show that the actual number may be closer to 260, which is less than half of the claimed 583 facilities.

Based on what can be counted on the Philippine Grid Map published by NGCP, there are only 164 substation facilities all over the country, the senator noted.

She also said many of the facilities, such as the 77 repeater stations situated on remote mountain tops require only one security guard rather than janitorial staff.

Similarly, over a hundred substation facilities and control centers, that are predominantly inaccessible to the public, may not need round-the-clock janitorial services.

"To validate the accuracy of these numbers and determine whether NGCP is disseminating misleading information on this issue, the ERC should conduct a comprehensive verification of the physical existence of these facilities and scrutinize the actual contracts governing janitorial and security services,” the lawmaker said.

“This is in line with the regulator's duty to perform a performance and rate audit of the NGCP," Hontiveros stressed.