San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza has called for greater investment in locally available renewable energy and stricter accountability for power generators amid recurring electricity interruptions in Negros and the Visayas.
In a pastoral statement dated Sunday, Sept. 27, Alminaza said generation shortfalls, transmission constraints and limited power imports have contributed to recent grid alerts, affecting households, businesses, schools, hospitals and farmers.
He urged authorities to distinguish between the causes of power shortages and the rotating power interruptions implemented by distribution utilities upon the grid operator’s instructions.
Alminaza cited a review of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) advisories from May 12 to Sept. 8, 2026, which repeatedly identified several coal-fired generating units among the reasons for red and yellow alerts.
According to the review cited in the statement, TVI Unit 2 appeared in 99 advisories, TVI Unit 1 in 91, PEDC Unit 3 in 63, KSPC Unit 1 in 19 and CEDC Unit 1 in 13.
The bishop clarified that the figures refer to mentions in grid advisories and do not represent the number of separate breakdowns or days the units were offline.
He said the repeated unavailability of generating units raised concerns about the reliability of the power supply, particularly when the grid was already under pressure.
Alminaza called on the government and energy companies to release detailed information on forced outages, reduced generating capacity, maintenance schedules, repair timelines and transmission constraints.
He also urged regulators to enforce plant reliability and maintenance requirements and protect consumers from unjust electricity costs.
The bishop said Negros could develop a more diversified energy supply through geothermal, solar, wind, hydro and responsibly sourced biomass, supported by energy storage and improvements to the transmission grid.
He also called for community-based renewable energy facilities, particularly in island and remote barangays, citing the REpower Matabas Island initiative as an example of locally managed power generation.
Solar power with storage could help keep health centers, schools, water systems, irrigation facilities and cold storage operating during outages, he said.
Alminaza cautioned against presenting additional coal plants or imported gas as automatic solutions to the power crisis and called for public scrutiny of other proposed energy projects, including nuclear power and waste-to-energy facilities.
He said proposed projects should be assessed based on their cost, construction timetable, reliability, environmental and health effects, and impact on communities.
The bishop urged national and local officials, the Department of Energy, the Energy Regulatory Commission, NGCP, power generators, distribution utilities and electric cooperatives to prioritize reliable and affordable electricity while expanding renewable energy.*
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