The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines' repeated failures to prevent massive power interruptions in its covered operational areas can be used as "sufficient grounds" for the termination of its franchise, Senator Raffy Tulfo warned on Saturday. 

Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, said the NGCP should have been long-prepared to maintain the grid's power distribution to ensure a stable energy supply in its covered areas. 

He recalled the massive energy loss in Panay and Negros sub-grids from 27 to 29 April last year.

Tulfo was irked that a massive blackout had once again happened due to NGCP's failure to comply with its primary mandate.

The senator noted that the current power disruption in Panay province, particularly in Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras and even in Negros Island, could already "warrant the review and eventual termination of its existing franchise."

"Mahigit isang dekada at kalahati nang nagsasakripisyo ang taumbayan sa mga kapalpakan nila (It has been more than a decade that people have been sacrificing due to the carelessness of the NGCP). Enough is enough," he said.

"NGCP should have already learned from the system disturbance that happened in April last year in the Panay and Negros Sub-grids and resolved things differently and better this time around," he further lamented. 

Antonio Mariano Almeda of the National Electrification Administration gave Tulfo a copy of the report about the current massive blackout incident in Panay — the same document submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., detailing the causes of power loss. 

According to Almeda, the Panay massive blackout "may potentially be attributed to the NGCP being unable to provide the necessary ancillary power support when the first unit of Panay Energy Development Corporation's power plant tripped at 12:06 p.m. on  2 January 2024 due to a boiler feed pump issue." 

"Subsequently, at approximately 2:19 p.m. on the same day, all other power plants in the Panay Islands simultaneously tripped, leading to the shutdown of multiple substations operated by affected electric cooperatives," the report added.

The lack of ancillary power support from NGCP could have triggered the cascading tripping of the remaining power plants in the Panay Islands, thus, leading to expanded blackouts, according to Almeda, who added that immediate action has been taken to fully restore the power supply in the affected areas. 

Tulfo said the NGCP's "continued inefficiencies and failure to comply with its obligations" would strengthen the Senate's firm resolve to review the continuation of the grid's franchise.

Meanwhile, Senator Win Gatchalian said he will be filing a resolution to immediately investigate the most recent power interruptions in the Panay province. 

"Iloilo City and the Panay Island are economic drivers of the Visayas area. Power supply disturbances should never happen as businesses will suffer tremendous financial losses," Gatchalian said.