BACOLOD CITY—Therma Visayas told lawmakers that it sources coal from Indonesia and uses the Indonesian Coal Index in its power supply agreements, as a House inquiry into electricity reliability in the Visayas turned attention to both supply security and pricing transparency.
Rep. Paolo Benitez proposed creating a public portal that would disclose the pricing formulas and calculations used in power supply agreements between generation companies and distribution utilities.
Asked whether the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) would support the proposal, ERC Chairperson and CEO Monalisa Dimalanta Juan said, “We will welcome that portal.”
The proposal came as lawmakers stressed that the region’s power problems extend beyond technical assessments of grid conditions. House Committee on Visayas Development Chair Rep. Lolita Javier said unstable electricity has direct consequences for households, businesses and essential institutions.
“This is about the daily reality of families, businesses, schools, hospitals, and communities that are affected whenever the power supply becomes unstable,” Javier said.
Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand “Dinand” Hernandez said the hearing was intended to identify solutions rather than assign blame.
“This is not a venue where we finger-point. This is an exercise to help find a solution to the situation of the Visayas,” he said.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the government is pursuing battery energy storage as an immediate measure to cushion supply disruptions, while the Department of Energy is also working to bring in power barges to augment capacity.
Garin said the earliest long-term solutions for the Visayas are expected by 2028.
Benitez said the inquiry should ultimately produce a power system that combines reliability with greater transparency on how electricity rates are determined.
“We are not here just to count megawatts. We are here to make every megawatt count,” he said. (Majohara Tucay)
