The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is a privately owned corporation that was created on January 15, 2009. It is a consortium of three corporations: Monte Oro Grid Resources Corporation, Calaca High Power Corporation, and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), which has a 40% stake while the other two has 30% each.
The NGCP is in charge of operating, managing, maintaining, and developing the country’s state-owned power grid, the National Transmission Corporation (Transco). That gives NGCP full control of the country’s electricity and as such could, at its discretion, shut down power throughout the country. While it seems unlikely for NGCP to shut it down for no reason at all, it could, however, accidentally be shut off or sabotaged. But who and how would it be sabotaged?
A few months ago, Transco president Melvin Matibag told a Senate panel that “it was possible for a hostile third party such as China to disable the country’s power grid remotely.” Immediately, Sen. Risa Hontiveros called for a Senate investigation. Consequently, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced that the Defense and Energy departments will probe allegations that China can shut down the Philippines’ power grid anytime they want.
