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Zubiri, Poe urge solutions to Western Visayas blackouts

Philippines | Luzon

Zubiri, Poe urge solutions to Western Visayas blackouts

By Tara Yap

ILOILO CITY – Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sen. Grace Poe have urged solutions after massive power blackouts hit Western Visayas region last week.

ZUBIRI (Senate FB)
Zubiri called on the Department of Energy (DOE) and the privately owned National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to answer the blackouts that hit the region comprising of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces as well as the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod. “These are no longer just an inconvenience. They are a major problem, affecting the economy and endangering the well-being of our people,” Zubiri said in a statement.

POE (Senate FB) Poe has called for an inquiry on the April 27 to 30 blackouts. She has filed Senate Resolution No. 579 to know what exactly caused the system disturbance in the NGCP grid. “Recurring power interruptions and massive blackouts have plagued Panay Island for several years now and severely impacted not only the daily lives of the people of Panay but also the economic activities in the region,” Poe said. The Iloilo-born senator emphasized the need to stop the cycle of blame between NGCP, the power generators, and the power distributors. “Concerned agencies must get a handle on the problem to end the intolerable suffering of the residents,” Poe added. Zubiri sought amendments to the 20-year-old Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

Related Tags

Blackout Grace Poe Western Visayas Miguel Zubiri

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