INDEED, this ongoing nuisance has taken on a life of its own, becoming a daily irritant. But the problem is largely induced by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), and “I Am Iloilo City’s” sole power distribution utility, MORE Power and Electric Corporation (MORE Power), is virtually powerless to do anything about it. In that sense, MORE Power is as much a victim as its consumers.
We are, of course, talking about NGCP’s much-anticipated daily announcements of red and yellow alerts resulting in Manual Load Dropping (MLD), which can lead to power interruptions lasting up to three hours a day — sometimes occurring twice daily.
It is already September, a couple of months since these red and yellow alerts and the resulting MLDs started, yet there seems to be no certainty as to when they will finally end.
According to MORE Power Trading and Sourcing Manager Raphael Dorilag, “we may have to wait until October” — perhaps even beyond.
As of the first week of September, NGCP’s outlook showed just how tight the Visayas power supply had become: available capacity stood at 2,336 megawatts (MW), while peak demand reached 2,395 MW, leaving an operating margin of negative 59 MW — a precarious situation, to say the least.
Four plants were on forced outage in September, six had been on forced outage since August 2026, one since July, two since June, seven since May, three since 2025, two since 2024, two since 2023, and one since 2021. Meanwhile, 16 plants were operating at derated capacities, bringing the total unavailable capacity to 774 MW.
Ten power plants were on forced outage, 20 generating units had been offline for extended periods, and 13 were operating at reduced capacity.
Major coal-fired units TVI 1, TVI 2 and KSPC 1 remained unavailable, while high demand in Mindanao limited the amount of power that could be imported into the Visayas.
Reports also said eight other power plants had implemented forced outages due to breakdowns.
The combined capacity of the plants that went offline is equivalent to the power requirement of an entire island such as Panay.
Twenty-four other power plants have remained on forced outage since 2021, while 16 facilities are operating at derated capacities, resulting in a total capacity loss of about 774 MW.
The Visayas grid is currently importing power from both Luzon and Mindanao to supplement its local generation capacity.
The region’s electricity system is interconnected. Power generators produce electricity, NGCP operates the transmission network that moves that electricity across the grid, and distribution utilities deliver it to homes and businesses.
So, when several major generating plants suddenly go offline at the same time, the problem can quickly spread throughout the system.
And that is exactly what makes the current situation concerning. The issue is not simply that one power plant broke down; it is that the system apparently lacks enough buffer when multiple generating plants simultaneously become unavailable.
Of course, we are already aware of this vulnerability. After the January 2024 Panay blackout, NGCP itself called for better energy resource planning, including sufficient generation capacity for individual islands and a better-balanced mix of fuels and technologies.
There were also warnings that Panay’s electricity demand could eventually outpace available supply.
In November 2025, the Panay Energy Development Corporation warned that the island could face a severe power shortage by 2026 unless additional baseload capacity became available.
Well, it is now 2026, and we are faced with the same problem. Were all those warnings and calls for better planning merely lip service? Hopefully not.
Meanwhile, the demand for power continues to rise as “I Am Iloilo City’s” economy grows.
More homes are being built. Businesses are expanding. Tourism is growing. Commercial developments are opening. Industries are coming in to invest.
There is no doubt that, after five years, MORE Power has brought “I Am Iloilo City’s” power distribution infrastructure into the 21st century, investing more than P5 billion to provide its consumers with steady, reliable and reasonably affordable electricity.
All that is missing now is for NGCP and the country’s power-generation system to ensure that enough electricity is consistently available to keep that modernized distribution network energized.
Perhaps the best solution to these constant power outages caused by supply shortages is to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) and allow power distribution utilities such as MORE Power to operate their own power plants and directly supply their franchise areas with uninterrupted electricity.
But that, of course, may just be wishful thinking./PN
