The Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (PamCham) has formally called on PELCO II to address the mounting concerns over the frequent power outages disrupting business operations in Mabalacat City.

In a letter sent to PELCO II General Manager Amador Guevarra on June 11, 2025, PamCham conveyed the collective frustration of its members, citing repeated brownouts that have hampered productivity, damaged equipment, and affected service continuity.

“All 27 barangays of Mabalacat City again experienced an 8-hour scheduled brownout on Saturday,” the chamber reported. This comes after a series of long outages earlier this month, including a 10-hour outage on June 5, a 9-hour interruption on June 7, and an 8-hour brownout set for June 14.

PamCham President Atty. Paul Yusi and Director for Infrastructure Development Atty. Ryan Tan emphasized that while they recognize the need for infrastructure upgrades and maintenance, the recurring long brownouts—often scheduled during business hours—are taking a serious toll on businesses and investor confidence.

“These outages create unexpected downtime, equipment failures, higher operating costs, and threaten the province’s economic stability,” PamCham stated.

Yusi also reminded utility companies of their obligation to serve public interest. “Distribution utilities like PELCO II exist to serve the public. Whether created by law, franchise, cooperative, or joint ventures, their duty is to protect consumer interests,” he said in a separate statement.

PamCham expressed its willingness to work with PELCO II and other stakeholders toward sustainable and reliable power infrastructure but urged the power distributor to immediately address the growing economic burden caused by the unstable power supply.