ILOILO City – Fearing that persistent power supply problems could escalate into a full-blown energy crisis and undermine Western Visayas’ growing economy, the Regional Development Council (RDC) is asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a state of energy emergency in the region.
The proposed declaration would pave the way for immediate interventions aimed at strengthening energy security and ensuring a more reliable electricity supply as Western Visayas grapples with power interruptions, yellow and red alerts, and rotational brownouts.
The RDC agreed during a collaborative meeting with Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin on September 14 to endorse a resolution calling on the Office of the President to declare the state of energy emergency.
The meeting, held at the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Regional Office 6, focused on measures to address the region’s power supply challenges.
The council stressed that proactive measures are necessary to enhance energy security, maintain reliable power supply and protect Western Visayas’ continued economic growth and development.
Iloilo City’s Mayor Raisa Treñas, who attended the meeting, raised the urgency of addressing the power situation, stressing that electricity reliability is critical to Iloilo City and the rest of the region.
RDC chairperson and Aklan governor Jose Enrique Miraflores acknowledged the concern.
“Ang power interruption nga na-eksperiyensiyahan naton subong is no longer just about inconvenience. Apektado na ang aton mga pamilya, transport sector, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises). May mga negosyo nga indi makapadayon sang produksyon tungod sa power interruptions, samtang nagasaka man ang ila operational costs,” Treñas said.
Treñas stressed that the problem must be addressed not only to ease the burden on consumers but also to protect the regional economy and secure a stable electricity supply as Western Visayas continues to develop.
During the meeting, Garin outlined the DOE’s immediate measures to improve grid reliability, including facilitating the return of unavailable power plants to the grid and deploying Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to stabilize electricity supply.
The DOE is also pursuing medium- and long-term strategies, including additional generation capacity and greater integration of renewable energy sources into the grid.
“There is a plan, and we have a long -term plan, short- and midterm plans, at hindi po nakakalimutan ang Visayas, lalo na ang Panay – my home province. We have plans in order to alleviate this problem from the people suffering now na mabawasan at hopefully mawala na,” Garin said.
For the immediate term, the DOE will closely monitor power plants that are offline to ensure they return to operation as scheduled while tapping other power plants or technologies to help sustain electricity supply until more stable and longer-term solutions become available.
Garin said the ultimate objective is to make Panay Island capable of meeting its own electricity requirements instead of depending on power transmitted from other parts of the country.
“Ang dami po nating plano and eventually ang objective is Panay will be self-sufficient in energy. So, ‘yon talaga ang main objective ko po. Kailangan ang Panay eventually hindi na kailangan kumuha pa ng power sa Luzon or Mindanao or kahit sa Cebu. It should be independent on its own,” Garin said.
The energy secretary also called for stronger collaboration among national government agencies, generation companies, electric cooperatives, distribution utilities, local government units and other stakeholders in implementing emergency interventions.
The September 14 meeting was attended by selected RDC members, private-sector representatives, generation companies and electric cooperatives.
265-MW BATTERY COMING
Garin earlier disclosed that the DOE is pursuing both short- and long-term solutions to address yellow and red alerts in the Visayas grid that have triggered rotational brownouts and manual load dropping.
Among the short-term interventions is the deployment of a battery energy storage facility that is expected to become operational within the month, either in San Joaquin or Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
The facility could provide up to 265 megawatts of power.
Three power barges capable of supplying up to a combined 120 MW are also expected to enter the Visayas by December 2026 or the first quarter of 2027.
Garin cautioned, however, that these measures are expected only to reduce — not completely eliminate — yellow and red alerts.
The DOE sees the construction of additional power plants as the more durable answer to the Visayas’ growing electricity demand.
Additional generating plants currently being developed in the Visayas are expected to become operational by 2028./PN