President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to craft a “long-term” energy plan for Siquijor, in view of the crippling power woes in the province, Malacañang said June 11.
Presidential Communications Office and Palace Press officer Claire Castro said Marcos is seeking the implementation of a permanent power system in Siquijor within six months.
“The President ordered the Department of Energy and NEA to formulate a long-term energy plan for Siquijor to ensure stable, reliable, and adequate service,” she said. “This includes the repair of plants, transmission lines, fuel logistics, and technical standards.”
Marcos is “mad and dismayed” with the daily power outages in Siquijor, Castro said, adding that the current situation in the province is “no longer a joke”.
Castro said the NEA is tasked to lead the power crisis response in Siquijor, including technical support and day-to-day coordination with the local government unit and power distributors Siquijor Island Power Corporation (Sipcor) and the Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative Inc. (Prosielco).
Marcos also ordered a full legal review and audit of the agreement between power supplier Sipcor and power provider Prosielco to avoid a repeat of the power crisis and hold those responsible accountable.
“Every day, there are brownouts that last for more than five hours. Due to the lack of electricity, the youth cannot go to school, our countrymen cannot work,” Castro said. “Those who were negligent must be held accountable for the present situation. It is said that this is due to the lack of power supply and old power facilities. There is also a lack of funds to buy spare parts and repair broken generators. These reasons are unacceptable.”
Marcos inspected the power plant operated by Sipcor in Siquijor town yesterday morning and learned that the facility is no longer in good condition.
He also ordered the immediate deployment of two emergency generational sets from Palawan as a short-term solution to the power deficiencies in the island province.
Prosielco earlier cited that generator breakdowns and scheduled maintenance are the primary causes of power outages in the province that have lasted up to eight hours or more.
The DOE reported that despite Sipcor’s installed capacity of 11.580 megawatts (MW), only 8.816MW is currently contracted to Prosielco, lower than Siquijor’s current power demand of 10.51MW. | PNA
