Senators have expressed dismay and concern over the widespread power outage that hit Panay Island, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo as well as Iloilo City, the regional capital of Western Visayas on Jan. 2.

Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri said that he is "absolutely incensed and dismayed" by the persistent power outages plaguing some provinces in Western Visayas, particularly in Iloilo.

"This situation is no longer tolerable, and the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines must urgently address this issue before irreparable damage is done to our communities," Zubiri said in a statement.

"Hindi po ito magandang senyales lalo na’t sinasalubong natin ang bagong taon. Hindi po dapat abala at kahirapan ang hatid ng pamahalaan sa ating mga mamamayan sa pagpasok ng 2024 (This is not a good sign especially as we welcomed the new year. Inconvenience and difficulty should not be delivered by the government to its citizens in 2024)," the Senate leader added.

Zubiri mentioned that constant power interruptions have widespread effects on communities, extending beyond mere inconvenience. According to him, it affects not only businesses, livelihood and the delivery of basic services to the people, but they have dire and far-reaching consequences on the lives of citizens.

He also stated that in hospitals alone, it is dangerous to have a power outage as it will affect incubators, life-support systems, and those who require dialysis treatments. As the power outages persist, Zuburi said that citizens are at risk.

"The DOE and the NGCP must understand the gravity of this situation and act decisively to resolve the situation. They should get their acts together immediately. We demand transparency in identifying the root causes of these outages and a comprehensive plan of action to resolve them," Zubiri said.

He added that the DOE and the NGCP need to get to the bottom of the deeply disruptive outages and ensure that power is restored to every household and establishment in Panay Island, Negros Island, and Guimaras as soon as possible.

"We will not stand idly by while our fellow Filipinos suffer due to the negligence and lack of urgency in addressing this power crisis. Kung kailangang imbestigahan natin ito, gagawin natin para malutas ang puno’t dulo ng problema (If we need to investigate this, we will do it to solve the root cause of the problem)," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said that power outages, especially in the Panay region, have been occurring for quite some time, stating that they already filed Senate Resolution No. 556 as early as March of last year calling on the DOE, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and other concerned agencies to ensure continuous energy supply in the country, especially during peak seasons and unforeseen extreme weather events and similar calamities.

He stressed that power outages have huge effects on our economy, especially with the disruption of business operations.  

"Parang hindi na po tayo natuto (It's like we never learned)," he said.

Citing data from the DOE, he said that 50 percent of the power plants in the country are at least 20 years old. According to him, this is why it is vital that the government has short- and long-term plans to ensure that there will be no more power disruptions in the future. These programs must include proper maintenance of power plants, generators, and similar facilities.  

"We also need to continue exploring other sources of renewal energy such as wind and solar to keep up with the department’s goal of renewable power generation mix target of 35% by 2030," he said.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, expressed grave concern over the difficulties that residents are experiencing due to the power outage.

"Kaya patuloy akong nakikipag-coordinate sa NGCP, Department of Energy, National Electrification Administration (NEA) at iba pang ahensya para ma-monitor ang pangyayari sa probinsya at mabigyan ng agarang solusyon ito (That's why I'm coordinating with the NGCP, DOE, National Electrification Administration (NEA) and other agencies to monitor the situation in the province and immediately resolve the problem)," he said.

Tulfo said that as of Jan. 3, a total of 68.75 percent are affected by the power outage in Panay. This means that out of the 13 power plants that should be supplying electricity to the province, only four are operational. He said that at least 300MW is required to stabilize the system and bring back 100% power supply.

Sen. Grace Poe said that what happened in Panay Island is unacceptable as it affected people in their homes, students, businesses, and local government operations.

"Concerned agencies and private companies must find ways to restore power in Panay Island at the most expedient time," Poe said in a statement.

"The blackout that happened in April last year in the island provinces should have been an eye-opener for the NGCP and power utilities," she added.

Poe, who chairs the Senate Public Services Committee said that these agencies should have been better prepared for any system disturbance and avert such with efficient planning and utilization of resources.

"Dapat may managot sa panibagong blackout na ito na nagpapahirap sa mga tao (Someone must answer for this new blackout that's giving citizens a hard time)," she said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian called on the DOE, NGCP, and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to expedite the investigation of the power interruption that severely affected the islands of Panay, Guimaras, and Negros.

He said that the DOE, NGCP, and ERC must swiftly implement effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such disruptive incidents, which adversely affect business operations and the day-to-day activities of our people.

"Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang malawakang power outage sa pagsisimula pa lang ng taon. Patuloy nating susubaybayan ang sitwasyon sa buong rehiyon (This widespread power outage is unacceptable with just the start of the year. We will continue to monitor the situation in the whole region)," he said.

He added that Iloilo City and Panay Island are economic drivers of the Visayas area. Power supply disturbances should never happen as businesses will suffer tremendous financial losses.

Senate probe 

Gatchalian said that he will immediately file a resolution to investigate the matter and to propose policy recommendations to prevent power disruptions in the future. Tulfo also stated that he will file a Senate Resolution to investigate the incident and hold accountable those behind the power outage in Panay Island. Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa also mentioned that he will file a resolution to probe what happened.

Sen. Chiz Escudero expressed support for the call to investigate but stated that it should not only be with NGCP but also include the power generation plants that shut down without adequate notice and the distribution companies.

"Power has 3 components… generation, transmission and distribution. All three must be looked into in order to have a complete picture - not simply do finger-pointing - of how to prevent a similar occurence from happening again in the future," he explained.