• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday expressed dismay over the persistent power outages plaguing the Western Visayas provinces.
“This situation is no longer tolerable, and the Department of Energy (DOE) as well as the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) must urgently address this issue before irreparable damage is done to our communities, Zubiri said in a statement.
He pointed out that constant power interruptions have widespread effects on the communities, extending beyond mere inconvenience.
“They also affect not only businesses, livelihood and the delivery of basic services to the people, but they have dire and far-reaching consequences on the lives of citizens,” he added.
In response to the ongoing power outage in Western Visayas, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has elevated the region’s alert status to “blue alert” since Jan. 3.
This is a proactive measure to enhance monitoring of the impact caused by the extensive blackout.
A “blue alert” signifies that half of the personnel are on standby, maintaining a heightened alert status.
Zubiri said that the DOE and the NGCP must understand the gravity of the situation and act decisively to resolve the situation as he demanded transparency in identifying the root causes of these outages and a comprehensive plan of action to resolve them.
“Both the DOE and the NGCP need to get to the bottom of these deeply disruptive outages and ensure that power is restored to every household and establishment in Panay Island, Negros Island and Guimaras as soon as possible,” he said.
“We will not stand idly by while our fellow Filipinos suffer due to the negligence and lack of urgency in addressing this power crisis,” Zubiri added. | GB
