AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray T. Reyes scored the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and said its project delays caused the massive blackout in Panay Island.
“For the longest time we have been calling out NGCP for the delays in its projects – some of which have reached decades without completion,” Reyes said.
Reyes also chided NGCP for its lack of preparation, noting that a similar power blackout hit Panay Island April last year.
“But instead of upgrading our system, they’ve prioritized massive dividends and lavish celebrations to their shareholders and directors,” he added.
Reyes said the power outage could have been prevented if NGCP had only finished the Panay-Negros-Cebu Interconnection Project on time.
“The completion of the Panay-Negros-Cebu backbone project has been moved 6 times from the original target date of December 2020. 2024 na po at ang mga kababayan nanaman natin ang nagdurusa dahil sa kanilang kapabayaan,” he added.
The lawmaker also chided NGCP for its lack of preparation, noting that a similar power blackout hit Panay Island April last year.
“There’s no excuse given na nangyari na ito last year. They should have been better prepared in handling and preventing these types of diaturbances,” he added.
He also said he supports his fellow lawmakers in Western Visayas who are calling for an investigation-in-aid of legislation on the matter.
“Malinaw na malinaw naman po kung sino ang may kasalanan at pagkukulang sa pagkakataong ito. What we need right now is to hold those responsible accountable for the severe impact on people’s lives and economic activities,” the solon added.
