By Jordeene B. Lagare June 17, 2020
SEVERAL power interruptions hit some
rural areas amid ongoing summer classes, the Department of Energy (DoE)
reported on Tuesday.
“It was brought to my attention that
some students from General Santos (GenSan) and North Cotabato were not able to
join online summer classes and submit assignments on time due to power
interruptions and not due to internet connectivity,” Energy Secretary Alfonso
Cusi said in a statement.
The impact of power interruptions on
distance learning, according to Cusi, was among concerns raised during
discussions on educational strategies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Enrollment turnout for the incoming
school year is very good, so we must anticipate that power demands of
households are met to ensure the smooth implementation of DepEd’s distance
learning program,” he pointed out, referring to the Department of Education.
The DoE cited a DepEd memorandum,
which states that remedial, enrichment and advancement classes for summer 2020
started on May 11.
Included were Saturday classes.
Under the memorandum, schools
conducting summer classes were told to utilize distance learning measures until
students and teachers are allowed to “leave their homes for school purposes” to
comply with community quarantine guidelines.
All power distribution utilities and
121 electric cooperatives (ECs) nationwide have been directed to ensure stable
and sufficient electricity supply in the provinces as schools prepare for a
blended-learning approach when they reopen tentatively in August.
National Electrification
Administration (NEA) Administrator Edgardo Masongsong earlier said power
cooperatives could also serve as internet service providers in their respective
coverage areas, as some cooperatives, particularly those in Mindanao, already
have existing fiber-optic cable infrastructure.
Masongsong urged the ECs to consider
setting up microgrids and solar home systems to connect remote communities
without access to electricity.
“Electricity will play an important
role in DepEd’s blended learning scheme, which includes the use of television,
radio and online platforms. Also, the need of fiber optic cables in the power
distribution systems is now very relevant to the recent pronouncements of
DepEd,” he said.
“This directive is not only to help
the students as they attend online classes but a sufficient and stable supply of
electricity at this time is what businesses need as we revive the local
economy,” Cusi said.
Latest data from the NEA Information
Technology and Communication Services Department showed there are still 1.87
million unserved consumers within the coverage areas of the 121 ECs across the
country.
To date, the overall level of
energization within the coverage areas of nonprofit distribution utilities
nationwide is at 95 percent or 13.63 million connections out of the 14.34
million potential consumers based on the 2015 census.
The same data revealed that 47
percent of these consumer connections, or 6.429 million, are located in Luzon;
27 percent or 3.641 million are found in the Visayas; and 26 percent or 3.556
million are in Mindanao.
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