A massive power outage hit cities in Panay Island and neighboring provinces, Guimaras Island and Negros on Tuesday, Jan 2.

In a report by RH Aine Grace Bravo, the blackout happened at around 2 p.m. Some consumers had electricity in the evening but eventually lost their power supply in the morning.

“Wala pa ring power supply ang malaking bahagi ng Iloilo City, Iloilo province, at iba pang lalawigan dito sa Panay Island kasama na rin ang Guimaras Island, at ng Negros. Nagsimula yung blackout pasado alas-dos kahapon ng hapon at ilang consumers na ang nabalikan ng power supply kinagabihan ngunit muli na lamang nag-blackout kinaumagahan,” she said.

According to Bravo, only a few electric services from MORE Powers, the sole distribution utility in the city, had a power supply in Iloilo City together with three electric cooperatives in Iloilo Province.

Bravo said MORE Power spokesperson Joy Cancelada requested the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for rotational brownout but it declined following the lack of an established grid system in the area.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas told DZRH in an interview that a power outage occurred for three days back in April 2023 after NGCP failed to finish the development lines in Cebu, Negros, and Panay.

“It’s happening again. The reason is that NGCP has failed to complete the development of the transmission lines from Cebu to Negros, Negros to Panay. And the problem will continue unless the transmission lines have been developed and improved,” Treñas said.

The Iloilo City mayor called on congressmen and senators for a congressional probe regarding the matter.

“I am already calling on our Congressmen and Senators so that a congressional investigation can be made by the committees on franchise and energy so that our elected representatives will know [what is really] happening here in the transmission lines for Cebu, Negros, and Panay?” Treñas added.