The Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives filed a resolution seeking a legislative inquiry into the frequent red and yellow alerts in power grids and the reported forced shutdown of multiple power plants.
Under House Resolution No. 1690 filed on Monday, April 29, members of Makabayan bloc stated that recurring forced outages of multiple power plants "should be addressed promptly to protect consumers from unjust power rate hikes."
Generation companies should be also investigated to "determine the extent of their responsibility in the current energy crisis and to hold them accountable for any exploitative practices that harm consumers."
"There is a pressing need to shift the burden of higher power rates onto generation companies during outages, ensuring that they bear the cost of disruptions and preventing them from pressing on these costs to consumers, thereby safeguarding consumer rights and promoting fair practices in the energy sector," they added.
Since April 16, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has repeatedly raised red and yellow alerts in the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao grids.
The alerts were issued after power plants were reportedly forced to shut down while others were running on derated capacities.
The Makabayan bloc is composed of Gabriella Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan Party-List Rep. Raoul Manuel.
