Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to investigate prolonged power shortages in the Visayas and Mindanao, which have contributed to significantly higher electricity prices compared with Luzon.
During a Senate hearing, Gatchalian cited wholesale electricity spot market prices from July 26 to Aug. 25, which averaged P4.80 per kilowatt-hour in Luzon, compared with P18.59/kWh in the Visayas and P19.56/kWh in Mindanao.
He also called for strict enforcement of power reliability standards and an investigation into possible anti-competitive practices or collusion among generation companies amid tight supply conditions.
The Visayas grid recorded 33 red alerts and 96 yellow alerts from Jan. 1 to Sept. 7, reflecting periods of insufficient reserves and increased risks to grid stability.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the government is targeting a resolution of the persistent power issues before the end of the year, with battery energy storage systems and diesel barges expected to support the grid while additional baseload plants are planned for 2028 to 2030.
Source: PhilNews24 | September 22, 2026
