'I don't want rotational brownouts': Duterte tells energy execs

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte wants energy authorities to ensure that there would be no rotational power outages in the country, Malacañang said Monday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte issued the directive during a meeting with officials of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines last week.

"The bottom line, the president said, 'I do not want rotational brownouts,'” Roque said at a press briefing.

Roque said NGCP officials told the president that they have the legal basis to purchase power but only to promote stability of the grid, not to provide further supply to the grid.

"The NGCP said it is a supply problem. They said the supply is really lacking and their ancillary authority to purchase power is only to provide stability on the grid. But the president said 'I don’t want rotational brownouts,'” the Palace spokesman said.

Earlier this month, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi apologized for the recent power outages that affected parts of Luzon and assured the public that efforts are underway to ensure sufficient power supply. He has said that the outages were caused by the simultaneous breakdown of four large power plants.

In a recent Senate hearing on the Luzon power outages, Cusi said the control of the power grid should be returned to the government to ensure proper management of ancillary services. Such a proposal requires amendments to the NGCP's 50-year franchise. The NGCP has maintained that ancillary services are used to stabilize the grid during power supply imbalances, not to provide extra energy or to replace power plants that broke down.

Citing information from Justice Secretary  Menardo Guevarra, Roque said Duterte had also raised the issue of a Social Security System property in Pasay that was expropriated by NGCP.

"I confirm that the officials of the NGCP could not justify why they went for expropriating six hectares of land when all they needed was 2,000 (square meters). But they apparently give the President an assurance that they will not proceed with that particular expropriation in Pasay," Roque said.