Energy Secretary Garin admits to planning lapses in Visayas power crisis

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin admitted to planning lapses during a joint congressional hearing in Bacolod City regarding the ongoing power crisis in the Visayas region. Garin acknowledged that the agency shares responsibility for the shortfall in baseload generation, which has left the regional power system vulnerable to recurring red and yellow alerts and rotating brownouts.

Lawmakers and consumer groups have responded to these admissions with calls for accountability. The Power for People Coalition (P4P) has called for Garin’s resignation, arguing that the DOE has failed to protect consumers. P4P noted that the crisis is linked to a heavy dependence on coal-fired power plants, citing numerous forced outages at facilities such as Therma Visayas Inc., Panay Energy Development Corp., and KEPCO-Salcon Power Corp.

House leaders are reviewing several legislative resolutions to launch a formal inquiry into the energy crisis. Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has proposed a 15-point ‘Liwanag Agenda’ to address the issue by activating failed plants, maintaining backup reserves, and procuring new facilities to ensure dependable power for the region.