Senate President Win Gatchalian urged the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and distribution utilities (DUs) nationwide to strengthen grid resiliency and preparedness amid increasingly extreme weather conditions.

Gatchalian made the call following repeated red and yellow alerts during the recent southwest monsoon, which were attributed to power plant outages and high electricity demand.

He stressed that preparedness should go beyond emergency response, noting that power infrastructure must be resilient enough to withstand extreme weather and minimize prolonged outages.

Gatchalian cited the Electric Cooperatives Emergency Resiliency Fund (ECERF) Act, which he authored, as an example of legislation requiring electric cooperatives to establish resiliency plans for disasters and emergencies.

He also underscored the importance of reliable electricity during severe weather to sustain the operations of hospitals, schools, critical infrastructure, businesses and other essential facilities, including small enterprises such as convenience stores, clinics and bakeries.

The Senate President called on NGCP and DUs to ensure they have adequate equipment, personnel and resources to promptly repair and rehabilitate facilities damaged by heavy rains, flooding and strong winds during the typhoon season.