Three House committees held a joint public hearing in Bacolod City to examine the causes of recurring power outages in the Visayas and identify immediate interventions and long-term solutions to ensure reliable electricity in the region.
The Committees on Energy, Visayas Development, and Legislative Franchises brought together government regulators, power industry stakeholders and lawmakers to assess gaps in generation and transmission, recurring supply disruptions, and their impact on households and businesses.
House Committee on Energy Chairperson and Palawan 2nd District Representative Jose Alvarez said the hearing responded to concerns raised by lawmakers over the region’s power situation.
“This meeting was called because of six resolutions (calling for) a hearing in aid of legislation para malaman ang lahat ng problema at kung ano ang gagawin. Kung gagawa po kami ng batas, o tatapusin na ng Department of Energy (DOE) at ERC ang mga problema, kasama ng mga (power) generators at transmission operators,” Alvarez said.
The joint inquiry took up House Resolutions Nos. 1024, 1031, 1114, 1429, 1430, and 1439, which seek an investigation into the Visayas’ power problems.
“The resolutions cover the back-to-back tripping of major transmission lines, the May 2026 manual load dropping, recurring red and yellow alerts, the unavailability and delayed capacity of newest power plants, continuing outages in Visayas, the procurement and delivery of consumer services, the adequacy of research, and the status of generation, energy storage, and transmission developments,” House Committee on Legislative Franchises Vice Chairperson and Bataan 1st District Representative Antonino Roman III said.
According to Roman, “the (incidents) point to one central issue, whether the present power system is capable of providing Visayas with a stable, adequate, reliable, and affordable supply of electricity.”
The lawmaker called on resource persons to provide clear answers backed by data to guide the committees in determining the necessary policy and legislative action.
Senior Deputy Speaker and South Cotabato 2nd District Representative Ferdinand “Dinand” Hernandez said the hearing aimed to bring stakeholders together to resolve the region’s power problems.
“This is not a venue where we finger-point. This is an exercise to help find a solution to the situation of the Visayas,” Hernandez said.
House Committee on Visayas Development Chairperson and Leyte 2nd District Representative Lolita Javier said the inquiry must look beyond supply figures, grid conditions and technical classifications such as yellow and red alerts to consider the consequences of unreliable electricity on everyday life.
“Families, businesses, schools, hospitals and communities … are affected whenever the power supply becomes unstable,” Javier said.
“The Visayas deserves a reliable and resilient power system that can support the region’s continued growth and development.”
The lady legislator stressed that the Visayas deserves a reliable and resilient power system that can support the region’s continued growth and development.
Deputy Speaker and Bacolod City Representative Albee Benitez echoed Javier’s concerns, saying unstable electricity affects jobs, investments, local competitiveness and Filipinos’ quality of life.
“Reliable power is not a luxury. It is a necessity.”
“We cannot build a strong economy on a weak energy system. Reliable power is not a luxury. It is a necessity,” Benitez said.
The legislator called for discussions to also consider how to build an energy system that can serve the needs of the entire country.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin thanked the House committee leaders and members for convening the hearing, which provided the Department of Energy (DOE) an opportunity to explain the Visayas power situation and present proposed interventions.
Garin outlined battery energy storage as an immediate measure to help cushion supply disruptions while the DOE pursues long-term solutions. The department is also working to bring in power barges to augment electricity supply in the region.
“The earliest (long-term) solutions for the whole Visayas is at 2028,” Garin said.
The hearing was attended by representatives of the DOE, National Electrification Administration, Energy Regulatory Commission, National Power Corporation, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Philippine Electricity Market Corporation, and local power and transmission companies.
