Provincial officials and power sector representatives outlined measures to address Oriental Mindoro’s soaring electricity costs and persistent blackouts during a joint legislative hearing, as residents face rates that skyrocketed to P15.67 per kilowatt hour this year.

The Oriental Mindoro Sangguniang Panlalawigan held the emergency session to examine the province’s deepening power crisis, which has burdened consumers with rotating outages lasting four to six hours and electricity costs among the highest in the Philippines.

Representatives from the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (ORMECO) explained that power rates jumped from P11 per kilowatt hour in December 2024 to P15.67 in May 2025 — a 42% increase within five months.

ORMECO General Manager Humphrey Dolor attributed the spike to seasonal factors, including reduced wind energy generation and limited hydropower output during dry months.

The cooperative has been forced to rely on expensive imported fuel-based power sources.

“We’re all dependent on conventional power during these times and these are fueled by imported fuel,” Dolor told the committee. “It’s not ORMECO dictating these prices — it’s supply and demand.”

The crisis stems from a structural problem dating to 2014, when the cooperative failed to secure adequate long-term power supply contracts.

What began as a 10-megawatt emergency power need has ballooned to 57 megawatts due to annual demand growth of 5-7%.

In February, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) approved contracts for six power companies to build facilities providing 57 megawatts of dependable capacity for Oriental Mindoro.

The companies won the contracts through a competitive bidding process overseen by NEA and the Department of Energy (DOE).

All six firms have submitted required documentation and are jointly seeking provisional authority from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which has 75 days to act on the application.

Dolor projected that if the ERC grants provisional authority on schedule, residents could see generation rates drop to approximately P7.39 per kilowatt hour by August through October. The figure excludes distribution fees, taxes and other charges.

The power shortage has reached crisis proportions, with outages affecting businesses and households.

Recent data shows ORMECO rates fluctuated dramatically this year, dropping to P12.97 per kilowatt hour in January before climbing to record levels by May.

The joint committee hearing was led by SP members Manny Buenaventura, who chairs the Committee on Laws, Ordinances and Legal Matters, and Anthony Lee Yap of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

Provincial legislators pledged continued monitoring of power sector developments and cited the need for transparency in communicating progress to consumers.

The power crisis has become a defining issue for Oriental Mindoro, where residents have endured years of unreliable electricity supply while facing some of the nation’s steepest utility bills.

The province’s dependence on costly imported fuel has left consumers vulnerable to global energy price fluctuations.

File photo: courtesy of ORMECO