The Senate panel is gearing up for another inquisition into the franchise of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) following the massive power outage that struck Panay Island last week.
In a report by the Philippine Star, Senate Committee on public services chair Senator Grace Poe explained that the probe was intended to investigate whether NGCP has met its responsibilities to guarantee the uninterrupted supply of reliable and easily accessible power.
Senator Grace Poe further stressed that with the critical role of NGCP as the operator of power transmission lines, inefficiency, mismanagement, and fiascos should not be tolerated.
The probe into the franchise is set to be conducted today by the committee on energy chair Senator Raffy Tulfo. The probe would also investigate the cause of the power outage in Panay.
Senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Tolentino, and Imee Marcos also called for a review of the NGCP franchise. In response to the Panay power outage, Hontiveros and Tolentino filed Senate Resolutions 890 and 894, respectively, initiating an investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, Tolentino also recommended an investigation into the power outages in Iloilo, calling on the Department of Energy (DOE) and NGCP to aid the region in securing a more sustainable solution to its energy supply.
