Philippines power crisis: Senator calls for penalties amid grid alerts

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission to impose heavy penalties on power companies failing to perform or abusing the market. This call comes in response to frequent brownouts and high electricity rates in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

Gatchalian also advocated for regular audits of fuel pass-through charges to prevent companies from exploiting global oil price volatility. He emphasized that the government must actively protect consumers from being abused during abnormal market situations.

In the Visayas region, the power system has faced significant instability, recording 128 yellow alerts and 52 red alerts between January and late October. Available capacity has frequently fluctuated near peak demand, causing operating reserves to drop into negative territory.

Clean energy advocates are pushing for an emergency regional summit to address these supply issues before the holiday season. Leaders from the Renewable Energy Associations and the Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance are recommending the accelerated installation of solar power and battery storage to provide a more stable and economical alternative to fossil fuels.