House minority reps seek probe on red, yellow power alerts

Minority congressmen called for a House of Representatives inquiry into the red and yellow power alerts in Luzon and Visayas grids amid the unplanned outages of over 32 power plants.

House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT party-list, House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list, and Kabataan party-list lawmaker Raoul Manuel made the call under their House Resolution 1690.

“It is imperative to conduct a thorough investigation into the actions of generation companies during plant failures, to determine the extent of their responsibility in the current energy crisis and to hold them accountable for any exploitative practices that harm consumers,” the lawmakers said in their resolution.

“There is a pressing need to shift the burden of higher power rates onto generation companies during outages, ensuring that they bear the cost of disruptions and preventing them from passing on these costs to consumers, thereby safeguarding consumer rights and promoting fair practices in the energy sector,” they added.

The House members also said that legislation should be enacted to prioritize consumer protection, address the root causes of the energy crisis, and implement measures that prevent the exploitation of power shortages for profit.

“Now, therefore, be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved, that the House of Representatives will conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the frequent red and yellow power alerts and forced shutdown of nearly 50 power plants, to hold generation companies accountable for power rate hikes due to their outages, and to ensure consumer protection during energy crises,” the Resolution said.

The Energy Department said the April 2024 unplanned outages in over 32 power plants was record-setting with 1,811 megawatts of power lost, more than double the previous average of 700 megawatts of power supply lost in years 2019 to 2023. — DVM, GMA Integrated News