President Marcos has prodded the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to finish its projects on time as he hailed the organization as the "bedrock" of the country's progress and well-being.

Marcos said this as he led the energization of the newly completed P67.98-billion Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) 230-kiloVolt (kV) Backbone Stage 3 (CNP3) in Bacolod City on Monday, April 8.

In his speech, the President stressed the importance of ensuring the country's power supply for the nation's progress.

"The timely completion of critical transmission projects in strategic locations is paramount to avoid power disruptions and to ensure our continued development," he said.

"Let us remain steadfast in our drive to ensure the timely completion of these remaining major transmission projects to bolster the stability of our power grid," he added.

Marcos expressed confidence that the NGCP would deliver on its commitments and described it as the bedrock of the country's progress.

"I trust that the NGCP will always fulfill its duty and obligation to safeguard the resiliency and the efficiency of our energy infrastructure," he said.

"It forms the bedrock— this is how important NGCP is— NGCP and our transmission network form the bedrock of our nation's progress and well-being," he added.

President Marcos reiterated the government's support for NGCP's endeavor as he urged it to complete projects on time.

"I urge the NGCP to deliver on the expansion commitments in a timely manner. Rest assured, the government will continuously assist you in this shared endeavor," he said.

"It is always a joint project and we bring all our resources and all our relevant assets to the problem so as to be able to build the best system that we can, as cheaply as we can, in as quickly as we can," he added.

According to Marcos, the government is working very closely with the NGCP to address the roadblocks or the bottlenecks that still exist so that there will be an immediate effect on not only the health and comfort of consumers but also the industries in the areas.

In a statement, the NGCP said that while certified as an Energy Project of National Significance (EPNS) in 2019, the project still encountered various difficulties particularly on right-of-way issues due to the opposition of landowners, long and tedious judicial processes, protracted permitting processes by local government units, unreasonable demands and threats from a particular barangay official, security issues in certain areas in Negros, and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

In September 2023, the Cebu-Magdugo 230kV line was also the subject of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court.

"Despite the various challenges surrounding the completion of the CNP, NGCP’s commitment to delivering this important project did not falter," it said.

"The dedication of our personnel who worked despite security threats, inclement weather conditions, and difficult terrain, and the support of concerned government agencies that assisted us were instrumental in driving this project forward," it added.