MATI CITY (October 26) — With brownouts and voltage fluctuations disrupting businesses and households in Davao Oriental, the province’s business chamber is urging Congress to extend Davao Light and Power Company Inc.’s franchise across the province, putting pressure on power distributors to demonstrate how they will deliver reliable electricity and protect consumers.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Davao Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PCCI-Davao Oriental) has called on the Senate and House of Representatives to extend Davao Light’s legislative franchise to Mati City and the municipalities currently served by the Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative Inc. (Doreco).
In Board Resolution No. 004, Series of 2026, adopted during a special board meeting on Sept. 28 and signed on Oct. 2, the chamber cited persistent electricity supply problems as a threat to economic activity and residents’ quality of life.
The appeal followed a request from Davao Oriental Gov. Nelson L. Dayanghirang Sr. for business-sector support for provincial power stability initiatives.
PCCI-Davao Oriental cited frequent and prolonged brownouts, unannounced interruptions, low voltage and other power-quality problems within Doreco’s franchise area. These disruptions, it said, affect businesses, tourism establishments, households and public services.
For small businesses, unreliable electricity can interrupt operations and increase costs. Tourism establishments risk service disruptions, while households face inconvenience and possible damage to electrical equipment. Public facilities also depend on stable power to maintain essential services.
The chamber stressed that dependable electricity is indispensable to the growth of commerce, industry, tourism and agriculture.
However, the resolution does not specify how frequently outages occur, how many consumers are affected or what measurable improvements a new distributor would deliver. These gaps make independent service-performance data and clear commitments from the parties essential to evaluating the proposal.
Franchise expansion is not a guarantee of better service
The proposal comes as Davao Light expands into areas previously served by the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative Inc. (Nordeco).
Republic Act No. 12144, which took effect in April 2025, expanded Davao Light’s legislative franchise to cover Tagum City, the Island Garden City of Samal and additional municipalities in Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro.
Extending the franchise into Davao Oriental would require separate congressional legislation. The chamber’s resolution is a call for legislative action, not an approved transfer of Doreco’s service area.
A change in distributor, however, does not automatically guarantee better electricity service. Consumers need clear commitments on outage frequency and duration, voltage quality, response times, infrastructure investment and the handling of complaints.
Electricity rates, connection costs and consumer protections also need scrutiny. Any transition must safeguard existing consumers and explain how service continuity would be maintained.
Doreco’s response to the chamber’s allegations, its service-performance data and its plans to address the reported problems are not included in the resolution presented. Davao Light’s position on the proposed expansion and its specific commitments to Davao Oriental consumers are likewise needed to assess the alternatives.
Consumers need measurable results
Congress will ultimately decide whether to expand the franchise, but its decision should be informed by verifiable evidence of service problems and a clear assessment of how the proposed change would benefit consumers.
For Davao Oriental residents, the central questions are whether the proposal can deliver fewer and shorter brownouts, more stable voltage, fair electricity costs and faster responses when service fails.
Public performance benchmarks and transparent consumer safeguards would help ensure that any change in distribution arrangements translates into tangible improvements rather than simply expanding a company’s franchise.
For households, farms, businesses, schools and public facilities, the measure of success is not who distributes the electricity, but whether reliable and affordable power is consistently delivered—and whether those responsible can be held accountable when service falls short.
