When Panay Island plunged into darkness on 2 January, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, or NGCP, did all the work not necessarily to restore the power supply in the region but to engage in deception, which can be considered as a significant method of “power tripping.”

Panay Island experienced a massive power outage after several power plants bogged down in the first week of the month.

The power shortfall was attributed to unplanned outages of a Panay sub-grid, according to the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Following the outage, several government agencies, including President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., chastised the NGCP for dilly-dallying that led to the catastrophic blackout.

In a video message, PBBM said NGCP had a two-hour window to prevent the massive power outage in Panay Island but it did nothing. Still, the President in a diplomatic tone said NGCP’s failure to act during the crucial two hours was a “missed opportunity.”

Responding to the “tripping” of power plants did not only placed Western Visayas in days of darkness but also revealed how NGCP handles emergency situations.

Instead of focusing on measures to prevent the problem from spinning out of control, NGCP started blaming other stakeholders in the industry, particularly the power plants.

Aside from its refusal to be accountable and responsible for what transpired in Western Visayas, the NGCP likewise claimed that the multiple tripping was “normal,” adding that any statement to the contrary is “speculative.”

Recently, Chinese authorities slammed the United States and the Philippines after the two nations held military drills in the disputed waters. China characterized such actions as “provocative military activities.”

This is the same script the NGCP uses to deceive the people which is to make Filipinos, including government officials, think they are prone to faulty reactions.

With only 40 percent of State Grid Corporation of China ownership, Chinese moguls have dominated the NGCP operations and made Filipino executives act as their spokespersons to whitewash the truth.

Such foreign involvement places the security of Filipinos at risk.

The Panay power outage created a tremendous effect in the region’s economic and developmental sectors. Several provinces in the region, including Iloilo, revealed they are in “crisis,” with several towns from the province suspending their classes due to the outage.

It also spurred a fallout on the tourism industry, particularly on the hospitality sector and local businesses, according to Senator Nancy Binay, as she urged concerned agencies to adopt a “whole-of-industry approach” to address the issue.

Instead of focusing on measures to prevent the problem from spinning out of control, NGCP started blaming other stakeholders in the industry, particularly the power plants.

The spate of disruptions brought about by the massive blackout in Western Visayas exposed the quality of energy infrastructures in the country and the caliber of command responsibility and accountability of the NGCP officials amid sudden emergencies.

NGCP’s aversion to facing responsibility and criticism leaves a clear reminder that when the power slips into the hands of a powerful group, darkness is expected to rule.