MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Raffy Tulfo suggested to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. that the government take back the operations of the country’s power grid, in a meeting with the chief executive on Monday.
A press statement from Tulfo’s office about the meeting with Marcos said the president agreed to the senator’s suggestion “as long as it is for the benefit of the Filipinos.”
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Philstar.com has asked Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil for comment.
Tulfo had proposed to return the operation of the transmission grid to the government-owned and controlled National Transmission Corporation (TransCo), while its maintenance is left to the privately-owned National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
TransCo operated the power grid from March 2003 until January 2009, when operations and maintenance of it were transferred to the NGCP, 40% of which is owned by the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), while the remaining 60% is owned by a group of Filipino businessmen led by tycoons Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr.
Tulfo said that the Chinese stake in the NGCP poses a serious national security threat to the country, considering the tensions between China and the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea.
Citing an intelligence report, Tulfo claimed China has the ability to access the country’s national grid and sabotage it.
He also claimed that manuals and instructions at NGCP plants on the operation of sensitive equipment are written in Chinese and that there is no Filipino technician who knows how to operate these.
While SGCC only owns 40% of the NGCP, Tulfo said that the shareholder’s agreement gives it the power to veto board resolutions of majority shareholders.
“In short, Chinese shareholders can do whatever they want when it comes to managing the NGCP. This is the reason why our energy situation is wonky,” Tulfo said in a statement.
Tulfo told Marcos about the different alleged violations of the NGCP in its franchise contract, like its failure to follow timely development and connectivity in the main grid in various provinces.
The senator said these concerns and supposed lapses are enough reasons for the government to cancel the NGCP’s franchise.
Other senators, including Sens. JV Ejercito and Risa Hontiveros, have also suggested that the government take back control of the grid, citing the same concerns that Tulfo raised.
But Sen. Francis Escudero warned against the re-nationalization of properties formerly owned by the government, saying it might discourage foreign investors from doing business in the country.
“The renationalization of formerly-owned sold state assets is a policy that the national government should be very careful about or should be more circumspect about as it might send a wrong signal to existing and potential investors,” Escudero said in a statement.