BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas expressed his frustration with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the nation’s power transmission operator, over recurrent blackouts in the city and parts of Panay Island.
During the Panay Energy Stakeholders Meeting at city hall yesterday, Treñas became noticeably upset after finding the report from Engr. Christian Ereño, NGCP AVP for Visayas Systems Operations, unconvincing.
The mayor cited multiple instances of power tripping unique to Panay Island, unlike in Cebu, Davao, or Manila.
“There’s something fundamentally wrong with your approach here. Are you implying that people in Panay are less Filipino? We pay the same rates and rightfully expect the same level of service,” Treñas told Ereño in frustration.
Treñas gathered officials from the energy sector, local government units, and the business community to discuss Panay Island’s power situation. Attendees included representatives from NGCP, the Department of Energy (DOE), MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power), Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC), Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC), and the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines Inc. (IEMOP).
In his presentation, Ereño suggested several improvements, such as adjusting PEDC’s under-voltage protection relay settings to prevent grid degradation.
He also recommended that power generators install time synchronization for generators, disturbance recorders, interface with NGCP’s central monitoring station, back-up 48V direct current supply for telecommunications, fixed-type generating units, and ensure the full completion of the Cebu-230 kV Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) backbone project’s stage 3.
Ereño said that upon the completion of Stage 3 of the Cebu-230 kV CNP backbone project, they could guarantee 99 percent certainty of no further blackouts in Panay.
This statement further angered Treñas, who criticized NGCP for blaming power generators and accused the transmission operator of failing to provide full service to Ilonggos.
“If you’re looking for someone to blame, it’s undoubtedly you. The Cebu-Panay-Negros grid’s progress has been significantly delayed. Why the delay? You constantly deflect blame onto others for your own failures. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s you,” Treñas asserted.
“We demand solutions, not finger-pointing. The time for blame is over; it’s you who are at fault,” he added.
Treñas released a statement emphasizing the importance of addressing the power crisis, a critical factor in modern times that affects individuals, businesses, and economies at large. He stressed the urgency of finding solutions to ensure the continued economic growth of Iloilo, which is among the fastest-growing economies in the country.
“The power crisis could hinder our development and deter investor interest not just here, but across the entire region if left unresolved,” the mayor stated. “We’re not interested in another reiteration of the problem. We seek definitive answers. Instead of assigning blame, we must collaborate and innovate to discover sustainable solutions to the power crisis,” he said./PN