ACT Teachers Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio slammed the latest red alert raised over the Visayas grid, saying the repeated power crises gripping the region are a direct consequence of government failure and the privatized, profit-driven setup of the power industry under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).
In an advisory, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said the Visayas grid was placed under red alert from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. today, with yellow alerts in effect from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. NGCP attributed the alerts to the unavailability of two major coal plants and limited electricity imports from the Mindanao grid. As of 9 a.m., available capacity stood at only 2,468 MW against peak demand of 2,545 MW.
“This is not a natural disaster. This is a man-made crisis. Year in and year out, the Visayas is plunged into darkness while generation companies owned by a handful of oligarchs collect capacity payments and rake in billions from expensive ancillary services procured from the spot market. The people pay more and receive less,” Tinio said.
From January to September 4, 2026 alone, NGCP has already issued 29 red alerts (139 hours) and 92 yellow alerts (336 hours) for the Visayas Grid. The Energy Regulatory Commission reported that 2,854.01 MW of generation capacity was unavailable due to forced outages, with large coal plants such as Therma Visayas, PEDC, Palm Concepcion, and KEPCO-SPC simultaneously on prolonged outages. Even as of today, the grid’s available capacity falls short of peak demand.
Tinio, together with Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Louise M. Co of the Makabayan bloc, will file a House Resolution directing the Committee on Energy to investigate, in aid of legislation, the electricity supply and reliability issues exposed by the 2026 Visayas grid alerts, the high costs of electricity and ancillary services, and transparency and accountability over power generation, transmission, and reserve procurement.
“Our resolution will dig deep into the questions that consumers deserve answers to: Why is there a 2,182 MW gap between installed capacity and what is actually available? Why are consumers paying 89% of ancillary service charges through the Reserve Market, where prices can spike to as much as P25 per kWh, instead of cheaper procurement agreements? Why did Energy Secretary Garin herself admit this is a ‘failure of planning’ — and yet no one is held accountable?” Tinio said.
The lawmaker also hit the DOE’s piecemeal and belated response, noting that as of September 18, only one of the DOE-directed ancillary service procurement agreements has been signed by the NGCP despite repeated directives and a show cause order.
“Rotational brownouts, ballooning electricity bills, and disrupted livelihoods — this is the daily reality of Visayas consumers. Meanwhile, five corporate groups control nearly 70% of the country’s installed generating capacity. EPIRA promised cheap and reliable electricity through privatization. Twenty-five years on, all it has delivered is a power industry held hostage by private monopoly interests,” Tinio said.
Tinio renewed the Makabayan bloc’s call for the repeal of EPIRA and the renationalization of the power sector.
“Electricity is a basic social service, not a commodity to be traded for profit. We will use this investigation to push for genuine reforms — transparency in reserve procurement, accountability for generation companies and the NGCP, a long-term plan for the Visayas grid including public-led renewable energy, and ultimately, the reversal of the failed privatization of our power industry,” Tinio ended. #
