January 8 ------ The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said that the supply of electricity has been restored in Panay Island in the Western Visayas as the power plant in the region resumed operation.
Citing an interview with Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta, the PCO said this after President Marcos ordered the ERC to immediately implement a reset of the rates of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) following the island-wide blackout that gripped Western Visayas since Jan. 2. According to Dimalanta, the power plant they had been waiting to operate synchronized with the grid around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, and the situation normalized by 2 p.m. on the same day. Although the power supply in the Western Visayas returned to normal, the Dimalanta said the ERC will continue monitoring the electricity supply in the region after it experienced prolonged blackouts this week.
Meanwhile, Dimalanta disputed the NGCP’s statement that its services are only confined to power transmission, saying that NGCP is mandated to handle system operations. “Ang trabaho po ng system operator ay paniguruhin ang safe and reliable operation of the grid,” Dimalanta pointed out. The ERC official said its investigation is ongoing, noting that initially, the ERC got information that the first unit failed around 12 p.m. on Jan. 2, followed by successive failures of other units totaling six units by that time.
On Friday, President Marcos ordered the ERC to ensure that NGCP continues to abide by its statutory and regulatory obligations. Marcos lamented that while power has been restored, the situation has caused significant hardship to residents, crippling businesses, compromising livelihoods, and endangering those in need of healthcare.
Source: mb.com.ph
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