Manila, Sept. 21 -- Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday urged the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to investigate the prolonged electricity shortage in the Visayas and Mindanao, which has driven power rates significantly higher in those regions than in Luzon.

According to Gatchalian, the price of electricity in Luzon on the electricity spot market from July 26 to August 25 this year was PHP4.80 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) as against PHP18.59/kWh in Visayas and PHP19.56/kWh in Mindanao.

"Kung saan pa mataas ang poverty rates, sila pa ang nagbabayad ng mas mataas na kuryente (Where poverty rates are highest, they are the ones paying higher electricity costs). Obviously, its shortage of power," he said in a news release on Monday....