Politics · Philippines Bureau
Consumer advocates push penalties for power firms over Visayas blackouts
A consumer rights group has thrown its support behind calls to impose sanctions on electricity providers responsible for frequent and extended power outages affecting the Visayas region. The move comes as frustration mounts over service reliability in the grid.
LSN Philippines ·
The Alliance of Concerned Consumers in Electricity and Social Services (Access) has endorsed Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian's proposal that the Department of Energy and Energy Regulatory Commission take action against power utilities contributing to the recurring blackout crisis in Visayas.
Access President Wennie Sancho stated the consumer group's backing for regulatory measures aimed at holding power firms accountable for service failures. The call for penalties reflects growing public frustration with the frequency and duration of outages affecting households and businesses across the Visayas Grid.
The push for sanctions comes amid widespread complaints about the power sector's inability to ensure stable electricity supply in the region. Consumer advocates argue that financial penalties could incentivize utilities to invest in infrastructure improvements and operational reliability.
Both the DOE and ERC are expected to evaluate the feasibility of implementing such punitive measures against underperforming power distributors. The regulators must balance enforcement actions with considerations about the broader electricity market and service delivery standards across the Visayas.