THE Senate Committee on Public Services will review the performance of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) “to see if it is keeping up with its obligations under its franchise,” Sen. Grace Poe yesterday said.
Poe made the statement as the Committee on Energy starts today its inquiry into the January 2 to 5 power outage in the Panay Island.
Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros and senators Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino have filed separate resolutions calling for a probe into the root cause of the island-wide blackout and a review of the NGCP operations in relation to its obligations under its legislative franchise.
Senators Raffy Tulfo, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Ronald dela Rosa said they plan to also file similar resolutions.
Poe, who is the chairperson of the Committee on Public Services, said a review of the NGCP franchise is within the powers of Congress to determine if the company’s franchise should be extended or terminated after Panay Island power outage.
“For a franchise as critical as the operation and management of power transmission lines, there should be no room for inefficiency, mismanagement for blunders,” said Poe in a statement.
She said the recurring brownout in Panay Island is proof that something needs fixing to ensure a steady, affordable, and accessible electricity to the people of the island.
“Our Senate Committee on Public Services is always geared up to conduct a review,” she added.
A similar resolution has been filed by presidential son Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos at the House of Representatives.
