Blackouts, Broken Promises, and Betrayal: The Untold Scandal Behind Philippine Tourism’s Energy Crisis

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On December 17, 2024, as tourists filled Siargao’s beaches for the holiday season, the island’s heart stopped beating. A 41-year-old submarine cable, left unreplaced for decades, finally gave out. In a matter of hours, paradise plunged into darkness.

Resorts shuttered. Flights were canceled. Tourists fled. By the time power returned 14 days later, the island had lost ₱1.09 billion.

For residents, this wasn’t just a blackout—it was betrayal.

“This was not an accident,” said one resort manager in General Luna, who asked not to be named. “It was a crime committed by those who knew the cable was dying but did nothing because there was no money in prevention—only in disaster.”

A Timeline of Neglect

The Siargao blackout was decades in the making.

1983 – The submarine cable linking Siargao to the Mindanao grid was installed. It had a lifespan of 25–30 years.

2010s – Warnings surfaced about the cable’s deterioration. Local businesses began lobbying the Siargao Electric Cooperative (SIARELCO) to replace it.

2016–2020 – The National Electrification Administration (NEA) earmarked funds for island grid upgrades, but no comprehensive plan for Siargao was executed.

2021 – Siargao was ravaged by Typhoon Odette. Calls for stronger, more resilient power infrastructure grew louder. The cable, however, was left untouched.

December 2024 – The inevitable collapse arrived, taking down nine municipalities in darkness at the height of the holiday season.

The response? Emergency generators and short-term fixes, contracts awarded to private suppliers with political connections. A temporary patch, not a solution.

Who’s to Blame?

The blackout revealed the ugly ecosystem of neglect and profiteering that plagues Philippine energy governance.

Siargao Electric Cooperative (SIARELCO) – Accused of sitting on warnings for years, prioritizing small repairs over replacement to avoid costly upgrades.

National Electrification Administration (NEA) – Tasked with oversight, yet repeatedly failed to enforce modernization deadlines.

Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) – Allowed power cooperatives to operate despite chronic inefficiency and consumer complaints.

Local Government Units (LGUs) – Poured resources into tourism promotion without demanding parallel infrastructure investment.

Department of Energy (DOE) – Focused heavily on mainland grid projects, leaving island grids underfunded and vulnerable.

“It’s a web of complicity,” said Yla Paras, lead economist of CERP, which conducted the post-blackout study. “No one wants to invest in prevention because there’s no political gain. But when disaster strikes, contracts flow—generators, emergency fuel, quick fixes. It’s a lucrative cycle of failure.”

The Corruption Angle

Electric cooperatives, long criticized for inefficiency, are notorious cash cows for local political clans.

Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) has faced years of consumer protests and Senate hearings for mismanagement. Despite this, it remains operational, protected by local power brokers.

PROSIELCO in Siquijor presided over a month-long blackout in June 2025, leading to a state of calamity. Yet questions linger: why were repair funds delayed, and who profited from emergency generator rentals?

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), a private concessionaire operating the country’s transmission network, has been repeatedly grilled in Congress over delays in critical projects, including backup lines for Panay and Mindoro.

“These blackouts aren’t just technical failures,” said an industry insider. “They’re engineered vulnerabilities. Someone always profits when the lights go out.”

The Victims: Workers, Tourists, and Communities

The victims of this corruption are ordinary people.

In Siargao, daily business losses ranged from ₱10,000 to ₱30,000. Small resorts closed permanently. Workers were laid off. Fishermen couldn’t store their catch. Clinics rationed medicine as generators sputtered.

Tourists, many from abroad, fled the island—leaving angry reviews that stained Siargao’s reputation. “It’s paradise,” wrote one traveler, “but what good is paradise without power or water?”

Broken Promises

Government officials have promised reform—again. The Department of Tourism (DOT) is now working with the Department of Energy (DOE) on energy audits for resorts. CERP has offered to integrate energy resilience into tourism planning.

But critics say these promises echo those made after Boracay’s closure, after Panay’s blackout, after countless brownouts across Mindoro, Palawan, and Mindanao. Each time, leaders vowed “never again.” Each time, history repeated.

“The Philippines markets itself as a global tourism hub,” said CERP’s Paras. “But how can we compete with Bali, Phuket, or Vietnam when we can’t even keep the lights on?”

The Way Forward—or More Darkness Ahead?

CERP’s recommendations are clear:

Replace and modernize critical island cables before failure.

Invest in renewable microgrids for islands to reduce dependence on outdated infrastructure.

Mandate energy audits before approving new tourism developments.

Reform electric cooperatives to break political capture and enforce accountability.

But will the government listen—or will another island go dark before real reform begins?

Paradise, Exposed

The Siargao blackout stripped away the illusion. Tourism in the Philippines is built on fragile foundations—aging cables, politicized cooperatives, and regulators asleep at the wheel.

Until accountability is enforced, blackouts will remain the true face of Philippine tourism. And each time the lights go out, the country’s promise of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” becomes harder to believe.

Because paradise without power isn’t just inconvenient.

It’s a national shame.

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