The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said Thursday it will conduct a formal inquiry on the persistent power interruptions in Siquijor province, following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to energy agencies to immediately resolve the province’s power situation.
The ERC issued ERC Case No. 2025-020 MC on June 18, 2025 calling on the Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative Inc. (PROSIELCO), S.I. Power Corp. (SIPCOR) and the National Power Corp. (NPC) to appear and provide explanations during a public hearing set on July 3, 2025 at 10 a.m. at the ERC’s main office in Pasig City.
“This hearing is part of the ERC’s continuing commitment to uphold accountability, enforce compliance, and ensure that the people of Siquijor — and consumers in our offgrid areas — receive reliable and quality power service,” said ERC chairperson and chief executive Monalisa Dimalanta.
“In calling for this public inquiry, the commission is determined to find long-term solutions to the power reliability issues experienced by the province and ensure that contractual commitments are delivered and services are improved moving forward,” she said.
The commission said it is also reviewing the compliance of PROSIELCO and SIPCOR to their power supply agreements (PSAs) approved on Dec.17, 2012 and which was granted interim relief in an order dated July 23, 2019.
The two PSAs have a combined contracted capacity of 9.5 megawatts (MW) and, the ERC said based on its records, should be sufficient to meet the peak demand in Siquijor.
The investigation was prompted by reports received by the commission regarding frequent and prolonged power outages across Siquijor, which disrupted economic activities and affected the welfare of residents, businesses and tourists in the province.
The ERC conducted a technical inspection from May 4 to 8, 2025, where several operational and regulatory deficiencies were observed in the generation facilities of SIPCOR and the distribution lines managed by PROSIELCO.
It said these deficiencies included inadequate preventive maintenance, lack of fuel inventory, operating without required safety certifications and plant certificate of compliance and the use of rental generators without permits.
