Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos (Facebook)

No less than President Marcos' son in the House of Representatives wants the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) franchise probed over the widespread power interruption in Western Visayas last week. 

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos has filed House Resolution (HR) No.1534, which directs the appropriate committees to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the power disturbance that has angered multiple sectors. 

“There is a compelling need for Congress to conduct an investigation with the end in view of revisiting and reviewing the franchise of the NGCP,” Rep. Marcos said in his two-page resolution filed on Jan. 5, 2024. 

“The review should include the possible separation and transfer of the systems operation function from the NGCP to another entity which could carry out such function more efficiently,” he added. 

The power outages in the region began on Jan. 2. Parts of Panay island and portions of Negros Island, among others, were plunged into darkness for at least three days as a result. 

Rep. Marcos said the inquiry is aimed at ensuring the “timely expansion of the transmission system in line with the development needs of our people and for its effective and efficient operation".

According to the presidential son, this “streamlining will enable the NGCP to focus on the construction and operation of the transmission grid". 

At the same time, he hintes about the “need to review the imposition of the special tax on the NGCP, as power concessionaire, in lieu of all other national and local taxes".

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“In pursuit of the common good and in line with its constitutional mandate to conduct investigations in aid of legislation, it behooves Congress to put in place energy security to ensure our country’s development,” the neophyte congressman underscored.

The House probe should also “further explore the feasibility of authorizing the Energy Regulatory Commission to impose administrative penalties on the transmission concessionaire of P2 million per day of violation or non-compliance with regulatory rules", he said.

Rep. Marcos said violations committed should at least be “one percent of the cost of the delayed project based on the ERC-approved project cost, whichever is higher".

The widespread outages forced local authorities to suspend face-to-face classes, while businesses suffered millions in losses.

Public and private hospitals were also severely affected in terms of their critical medical equipment, while the tourism industry “incurred inestimable reverses".