{
  "id": 7135485,
  "title": "DOE failure",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/doe-failure",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-13T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Philippine Star Business",
    "slug": "philippine-star-business",
    "url": "https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/09/14/2556017/doe-failure"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The failure of the Department of Energy (DOE) has left Iloilo City, and the rest of Visayas, grappling with frequent power outages reminiscent of the dark days of the Cory administration. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, who hails from Iloilo, has been criticized for her inability to provide hope or a viable solution. The situation is not new, having persisted for years despite Garin's tenure as energy undersecretary. The problem lies in the supply, with Iloilo City's peak demand at 135 MW, primarily fueled by the booming BPO sector, new commercial real estate, and increased residential appliance usage. The four large coal-fired power plants in Iloilo are supposed to generate a total of 454.4 MW, but they have been plagued by uncoordinated outages and deratings for over two and a half years. The crisis peaked in September 2026 when an internal boiler failure at PEDC Unit 1 triggered a grid collapse, leaving the entire island of Panay without power for four days. Despite suggestions for solar power solutions, MORE Power, a distribution utility, is prohibited by EPIRA from setting up such systems. The DOE has ordered Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) across several regions, but their effectiveness remains questionable. The power crisis highlights the need for a free market and calls for an independent probe into the real reasons behind the persistent power issues in the region.",
  "summary": "Pity Energy Secretary Sharon Garin. She is from Iloilo and like the rest of Visayas, Iloilo has been suffering from power failures reminiscent of the great blackouts of the Cory era. And Secretary Garin seems unable to offer hope.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}