07/07/2026
ALBAY’S BILLION-PESO ENERGY WAR: CONGRESSMAN GARBIN CRITICIZES PRIVATIZATION PUSH AS STATE-FUNDED GRID RECOVERY TAKES SHAPE‼️🔌
LEGAZPI CITY — As the fiery debate surrounding the fate of the Albay Electric Cooperative (ALECO) intensifies, Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Alfredo "Pido" Garbin, Jr. is urging the public to push back against a hasty transition toward privatization. Even as daily power outages fuel consumer outrage and local figures like Governor Noel Rosal advocate for private sector takeover, Garbin is firmly standing his ground—warning that an immediate corporate buyout is a deceptive deal for everyday citizens.
Garbin reveals that the NATIONAL GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY COMMITED A MASSIVE P1.2 BILLION INJECTION to rebuild Albay’s fragile electrical grid from its foundations. Rushing to privatize at this juncture, he cautions, simply permits corporate interests to hitch a "free ride" on vital infrastructure funded entirely by Filipino taxpayers, without offering any concrete assurance of resolving the utility's deep-seated financial issues.
The following details break down the unfolding power crisis through Congressman Garbin’s pushback against corporate intervention.
THE P1.2 BILLION PUBLIC INVESTMENT STABILIZING THE GRID 🏗️
Congressman Garbin maintains that the path to resolving Albay's energy struggles requires a systematic approach: complete the physical grid rehabilitation and modernize existing utility services. Orchestrated through the persistent backing of Ako Bicol, the government is currently funding and carrying out this multi-stage overhaul.
PHASE 1: LAYING THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE FOUNDATION
The Salvacion Substation: Fully energized in May 2025 alongside a 9-km subtransmission line, this facility successfully expanded ALECO's capacity from 160 MVA to 170 MVA, stabilized localized consumer voltage to a solid 230V, and dramatically decreased power disruptions for residents across Sto. Domingo, Bacacay, and San Miguel Island.
Daraga (Cullat) & Ligao Substations: This initial rollout also encompasses the construction of two brand new 1-20 MVA substations. As of June 2026, the New Daraga Substation project has progressed past the 50% completion mark, with crews actively stringing critical dual-circuit lines out toward the Bicol International Airport and Camalig. Both hubs are slated to go completely live by August of this year.
PHASE 2: THE P800 MILLION LINE ENHANCEMENT
Moving forward this year, an additional P800 million second phase is being deployed to upgrade aging distribution lines and construct secondary substations, directly targeting improvements for Legazpi City as well as the First and Second Districts.
Looking at the long-term roadmap, a comprehensive layout extends through 2028 to expand and reinforce crucial substations in Tabaco, Bacacay, Banquerohan, and Pioduran.
THE COST OF CORPORATE TAKEOVERS: GARBIN’S WARNING TO ALBAYANOS 🤨
With P1.2 billion in taxpayer-funded modernization actively rolling out, Garbin remains deeply skeptical of the sudden influx of private concessionaires attempting to acquire the utility. He prompts residents to closely evaluate the true intentions behind the corporate push:
Exploiting Public Funds: Garbin points out that private corporations are only circling ALECO now because the government has already cleared the hurdle of absorbing the massive upfront costs of building new substations. Privatizing today gives corporate entities an unearned financial advantage using public assets.
Remembering the APEC Failure: Garbin urges the community to remember Albay’s distressing past experiences under the private administration of the Albay Power and Energy Corp. (APEC), a period where consumers were ultimately "cooked in their own grease" (ginisa sa sariling mantika) while enduring substandard services.
The Unresolved Multi-Billion Debt Question: While privatization proponents like Governor Rosal highlight ALECO's substantial multi-billion peso liabilities as a reason to sell, Garbin poses a glaring question: Will a private firm absorb these billions using its own capital, or will those massive financial liabilities be passed straight down to consumers via inflated electricity bills?
Copying an Existing Solution: Garbin points out that if a private entity were to take control tomorrow, its immediate operational step would be injecting capital to construct substations. Since the National Government is already executing that exact remedy, he asserts that the public must let the state finish its job.
HOLDING THE LINE FOR A FAIR CHANCE 📋
While acknowledging the intense fatigue and frustration experienced by consumers during ongoing grid modifications, Garbin asks the public for a reasonable window of patience to let the upgrades yield results. Technical teams have reiterated that the current localized brownouts are an unavoidable safety requirement to upgrade high-voltage lines securely. Ongoing work, such as the extensive phase expansion project in Manito, is actively addressing the root causes of low voltage.
For Congressman Garbin, shifting to a rushed corporate model is a dangerous misstep. "Before jumping to conclusions that privatization will instantly fix everything, we must let the government's comprehensive rehabilitation plan finish its course," Garbin strongly advises. "Once these major substations are fully operational, we can fairly evaluate ALECO based on a reliable, affordable power supply. Moving too fast right now risks repeating the costly mistakes of our past."
