November 13, 2015 10:02 pm by RITCHIE A. HORARIO
A
power cooperative in Occidental Mindoro on Friday warned of massive outages
next year if a government agency does not certify a supply deal.
The Occidental
Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) said the lack of power might affect next
year’s elections as the National Electrification Administration (NEA) has yet
to approve a power supply agreement (PSA).
“On behalf of our
member consumers, we are asking NEA to hear our request to approve the
guarantee,” OMECO director Rodolfo Plopinio said.
“This coming holiday
season, Occidental Mindoro might still experience brownouts,” Plopinio added.
He noted that the
cooperative had agreed to all of the NEA’s conditions and submitted all
documentary requirements ever since the PSA was signed in February last year.
The NEA, which is
mandated to implement the government’s Rural Electrification Program, was not
immediately available for comment.
Plopino also claimed
that their consumers had expressed fears that a power lact could be used to
manipulate the outcome of the 2016 elections.
San Jose in
Occidental Mindoro was once dubbed the “Blackout Capital of the Philippines”
due to power outages that lasted between six to twelve hours a day.
The entire province
has endured power outages over the past few years due to inadequate supply,
coupled with its disconnection from the main grid.
Last year, the Energy
Regulatory Commission approved a 25-year PSA between OMECO and Emerging Power
Inc.
The National Power
Corporation also recently signed a Universal Charge for Missionary
Electrification (UCME) subsidy for OMECO.
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