City Council demands action on power crisis

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council is demanding that the Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), and power firms take immediate and transparent measures to stabilize the electricity supply amid the worsening power crisis in the Visayas.

In an approved resolution sponsored by Councilor Harry Eran, the council called for accountability as recurring power outages and rising electricity costs continue to affect consumers.

Eran warned that recurring outages and the possible pass-through of generation and transmission costs could severely impact households, businesses, and public institutions.

His resolution stressed that no increase in electricity rates should be imposed unless it is lawful, reasonable, and properly supported, citing reports of tariffs rising from P11 to nearly P19 per kilowatt-hour.

Eran also emphasized that consumer protection, energy efficiency, and long-term planning must be part of the city’s response to the power situation.

Councilor Joel Garganera, meanwhile, sponsored a separate resolution expressing Cebu City’s full support for House Resolution No. 1439 filed by Rep. Karen Hope Garcia.

The House inquiry seeks to examine the causes of generation unavailability, transmission delays, including issues involving the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project, and the adequacy of host community benefits under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

Garganera stressed Cebu City’s position as the Visayas’ major load center, accounting for about half of the grid’s demand. He said the city must have access to committee reports and DOE and ERC findings to guide its own legislative and policy response.

The urgency of the measure is underscored by NGCP data showing that the Visayas Grid has recorded more than 90 yellow alerts and over 30 red alerts this year, with as much as 971 megawatts of generation capacity unavailable.

Despite Cebu hosting major baseload plants such as Therma Visayas Inc. and Cebu Energy Development Corp., prolonged power shortages have forced rotational brownouts lasting up to 2.5 hours.

The DOE has deployed battery energy storage systems and modular diesel generator sets to help ease shortages, while the ERC has corrected erroneous market charges and deferred Visayan Electric’s July 2026 cost recovery, keeping rates at P14.90 per kilowatt-hour instead of P17.59 per kWh.

The council also agreed to hold an executive session to address the power crisis.

Councilor Francis Esparis moved to meet with concerned offices, a motion that was seconded and carried without objection.

The executive session is scheduled for Oct. 13 and will bring together regulators, utilities, and city officials for a focused discussion on the power situation. — /FPL (FREEMAN)