NGCP: May 13-15 grid alerts due to 'series of unfortunate events'

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Tuesday said the red and yellow grid alerts from May 13 to 15 were the result of a "series of unfortunate events.”

NGCP President Anthony Almeda said the company is still investigating the cause of the transmission disturbance, noting that sabotage has not been ruled out and that assistance from the Philippine National Police has already been requested.

“NGCP is still investigating the root cause of the transmission disturbance. Sabotage has not yet been ruled out, and we have already requested the PNP (Philippine National Police) for assistance,” Almeda said.

“The grid alerts issued between May 13 and 15 were truly the result of a series of unfortunate events,” he told the joint hearing of the House Committee on Energy and House Committee on Legislative Franchises on the recent grid alerts.

Almeda maintained that NGCP should not be held responsible for the red and yellow alerts in the Luzon and Visayas grids, saying the incident was not caused by transmission outages alone.

He said that even before the transmission issue on May 12, 31 power plants were already either on forced shutdown or operating at derated capacity.

The Luzon grid, meanwhile, recorded its highest demand for 2026 at 14,268 megawatts, while the Visayas grid was already under a yellow alert due to unplanned generation shutdowns.

“No significant transmission incident occurred in the Visayas on May 12. To attribute the May 13 to 15 grid alerts solely to transmission outages is not only misleading, but also prevents energy industry players and relevant government agencies from formulating effective and lasting solutions, as key parts of the problem are being overlooked,” Almeda said.

He argued that as the system operator, NGCP can only transmit available power.

“Operational disturbances, while undesirable, are unavoidable. All parts of the power supply chain will eventually experience unplanned shutdowns, regardless of how diligently equipment is maintained,” he said.

Almeda also said NGCP was able to restore the two affected lines within eight and 12 hours despite mountainous terrain and rainy weather conditions, adding that the lines are regularly maintained, with the last inspection conducted in April 2026.

“What is critical is the ability to restore operations and to mitigate and minimize disturbances to power consumers. Grid resilience requires a balanced mandate: strengthening our systems against avoidable disruptions and recovering swiftly when they occur,” he said.

During the same hearing, House Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand “Dinand” Hernandez of South Cotabato said the inquiry was not only about identifying technical failures but also about ensuring accountability and putting in place long-term safeguards to prevent another major grid collapse.

“This inquiry should remain constructive, solution-oriented, and responsive to the concerns of the public. Our mandate today is to determine what failed, why it failed, and what measures must be put in place to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” he said.

“More than 3.9 million consumers across Metro Manila, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were affected by manual load dropping. When these failures occur, the public rightfully demands accountability from government,” Hernandez said.

“That is why we must move beyond reactive responses and work toward a more proactive and resilient energy system,” he added.

The House leader also underscored the need for stronger coordination between the Department of Energy, NGCP, and other industry stakeholders to improve response times and crisis management during major power disruptions.

“The DOE must have real-time visibility and timely coordination with the grid operator to ensure faster response, clearer communication, and better crisis management,” Hernandez said.—MCG, GMA News