House to probe NGCP over grid failures, massive Luzon-Visayas brownouts

Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III and Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand “Dinand” Hernandez on Monday filed a resolution seeking a congressional inquiry into the back-to-back tripping of major transmission lines operated by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) that triggered red and yellow alerts in the Luzon and Visayas grids.

House Resolution No. 1024 calls for an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the May 13, 2026 tripping of the 500-kilovolt Tayabas-Ilijan and Dasmariñas-Ilijan transmission lines that resulted in the sudden loss of more than 2,462 megawatts of power.

The massive disruption forced NGCP to implement Manual Load Dropping, affecting around 3.9 million customers in Metro Manila, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

“Hindi katanggap-tanggap na milyon-milyong Pilipino ang nawalan ng kuryente dahil sa pagkabigo ng ating transmission system. Ang kuryente ay hindi luho — ito ay pangunahing pangangailangan na direktang nakaaapekto sa kabuhayan, negosyo, edukasyon, at araw-araw na buhay ng mamamayan,” Dy said.

According to the Speaker from Isabela, the incident exposed serious weaknesses in the country’s power transmission backbone and underscored the need for accountability and urgent reforms.

“The back-to-back tripping of these major transmission lines exposed serious weaknesses in the reliability and resilience of our power grid. Kailangang malaman ng taumbayan kung ano talaga ang nangyari at kung may kapabayaan ba sa maintenance, monitoring, at compliance sa ating grid standards,” Dy said.

The resolution stressed the need for Congress to determine whether the incident was caused by “force majeure” or by NGCP’s alleged failure to properly maintain and invest in the integrity of the national transmission system.

“It is imperative for the House of Representatives to determine if these incidents are a result of ‘force majeure’ or a failure of the NGCP to properly invest in and maintain the integrity of the national transmission backbone,” the resolution stated.

The measure pointed to “critical vulnerabilities in the maintenance, protection systems, and ‘N-1’ contingency compliance of the NGCP,” saying the back-to-back tripping of high-voltage lines raised serious concerns over grid reliability.

It also cited allegations that NGCP failed to promptly report the incident to the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission, despite rules requiring an initial report within 60 minutes of any system disruption.

“It is a serious concern that NGCP failed to promptly declare and report the Tayabas-Ilijan-Dasmariñas line trip to the relevant regulatory authorities at the time of the incident—notwithstanding the significance of the event and its immediate impact on grid stability,” the resolution read.

The resolution further noted that NGCP allegedly failed to submit the required incident report identifying the root causes of the tripping events, “failing to comply with its obligations under the Philippine Grid Code.”

Dy said Congress has the responsibility to ensure that public utilities operating under legislative franchises are fulfilling their obligations to the Filipino people.

“Kapag ang isang pribadong concessionaire ay binigyan ng napakalaking responsibilidad na pangalagaan ang national grid, dapat tiyakin na maayos, sapat, at napapanahon ang kanilang mga pamumuhunan at operasyon. Hindi puwedeng paulit-ulit na lamang tayong makararanas ng red alert, yellow alert, at malawakang brownout,” he said.

The proposed inquiry will focus on the exact technical causes of the transmission failures, possible lapses in NGCP’s reportorial compliance, the status of the Transmission Development Plan, and whether recurring technical failures and alleged reporting lapses may constitute violations of NGCP’s legislative franchise.

“This inquiry is not just about assigning accountability. It is about protecting consumers, strengthening our energy security, and ensuring that the country’s transmission backbone is capable of supporting economic growth and national development,” Dy said.

“The Filipino people deserve a power system that is stable, reliable, and prepared for contingencies. Hindi dapat nalalagay sa panganib ang buong grid dahil lamang sa pagkawala ng isang critical transmission corridor.” (RM)