Marcos wants Siquijor power normalized by year-end

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said he wants the power services in Siquijor province to be normalized before the year ends, as he said refunds should be made to consumers if needed following the rotational brownouts that plagued the province in May.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos said the administration will ensure that facilities are established for long-term gains and to avoid a repeat of the power crisis that hit the province in May.

“Ipinag-utos ko sa DOE, NEA, at ERC na pabalikin sa normal ang serbisyo ng kuryente sa Siquijor bago matapos ang taon. Titiyakin namin na maitatatag agad ang mga pasilidad para sa pangmatagalang lunas sa kanilang problema sa kuryente,” he said.

“Hindi na dapat itong maulit muli. limbestigahan ang naging kapabayaan nito, at ang iba pang mga katulad na kaso sa buong bansa. Dapat nilang ayusin ang pamamahala ng mga kumpanya ng kuryente, at ipag-utos ang pag-refund kung kinakailangan.

(I have ordered the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to restore electricity services in Siquijor to normal before the end of the year. We will ensure that facilities are immediately established to provide a long-term solution to their power problems.

This must never happen again. We will investigate the negligence involved in this case, as well as similar incidents across the country. These agencies must fix the management of power companies and mandate refunds if necessary.)

To recall, Siquijor had rotational brownouts since May 13, 2025, prompting the Siquijor provincial government to declare a state of calamity.

In June, Marcos inspected the Siquijor Island Power Corp. (SIPCOR) power plant in the province, and directed an investigation on its operations amid the power issues. He also said he is open to the possibility of having another power provider in the province.

“Sa ginawa nating imbestigasyon, ano ‘yung ating natuklasan? Mga expired na permit. Mga sirang generator na halatang napabayaan, kaya sunod-sunod na bumibigay. Mabagal na aksyon, at kawalan ng maayos na sistema na pagbili ng krudo at mga piyesa,” he said Monday.

(With the investigation we conducted, what did we uncover? Expired permits. Broken generators clearly neglected which is why they failed one after another. Slow response and the absence of a proper system for procuring fuel and spare parts.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News