The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has issued a closure order on Siquijor Island Power Corporation or SIPCOR, owned by the Villar family, on Friday, August 29.

The immediate revocation of all Provisional Authorities to Operate (PAOs) on SIPCOR’s generating units stems from its repeated violations of operational and regulatory compliance requirements, said Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin in a press conference in Taguig City.

Garin added that the worsening tripping of electricity supply in the island province has greatly affected the livelihoods and everyday living of the locals, reported RH 15 Jecelle Ricafort.

“Tatlumpung araw matapos patutukan ni President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., nabigyan ng closure order ang SIPCOR, ang dating provider sa isla, at pinalitan ng TotalPower Inc. para matuldukan ang matinding kalbaryo ng mga taga-Siquijor,” Garin said.

On June 11, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. inspected SIPCOR’s facility and ordered the DOE and the National Electrificiation Administration (NEA) to resolve the prolonged brownouts.

SIPCOR was given roughly two months to address its issues, but has failed to do so, Garin said. She added that Siquijor has endured 568 hours of power interruptions, with an average of 31 outages in a month—translating to daily brownouts which would last from five to as much as 15 hours at a time.