Senator Rodante Marcoleta on Thursday, 6 November, urged the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) to settle their differences to hasten the completion of transmission projects nationwide.

“I think it is the monitoring that has to be explained. Can you monitor without being present in the project and inspecting it personally? You can ask for data and inputs to be able to monitor what they do—it is not necessary for you to be in the area or the site inspecting it yourself,” Marcoleta said during a public hearing conducted by the Committee on Energy.

He explained that monitoring might be a term that would not require precise inspection.

“Can you imagine TransCo, the owner of the transmission assets, and NGCP, the operator, quarreling with each other? This is very far from what the people expect,” he added.

Marcoleta suggested that the disagreement between the two agencies could be resolved through proper dialogue.

NGCP is a privately-owned corporation that operates, maintains, and develops the country’s power grid, transmitting bulk power from generators to distributors and customers.

Meanwhile, TransCo is a government-owned and controlled corporation established on 26 June 2001 under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).