Businessmen say unstable electricity
supply creates ‘undue stress’ on tourism
By: Nestor P. Burgos Jr. 12:40 AM
January 14, 2017
IT’S DARK IN PARADISE Boracay
Island, backdropped by the mountains of Malay town in Aklan province, is
suffering from daily power outages that disrupt business and burden residents
and visitors in this top tourist destination. —ARNOLD ALMACEN
ILOILO CITY—The Department of Energy
(DOE) has ordered a “rapid appraisal” of the power situation on Boracay Island
in Aklan province after businessmen and residents complained of the frequent
power interruptions in the popular tourist destination.
Energy Assistant Secretary Robert Uy
said the DOE has ordered the National Electrification Administration to
come up with solutions to improve electricity services on the island after a
group of businessmen said the power interruptions have hampered productivity
and inconvenienced tourists.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (PCCI) in Boracay, in a letter to DOE, local officials and
President Duterte, appealed for help to address the situation.
“Due to constant tripping of [power]
lines and low voltage, power fluctuations and interruptions and the overall
substandard electricity supply, breakdowns in appliances and equipment, both
household and commercial, result in costly personal and capital expenditures,”
Jove Schrottmann, PCCI-Boracay president, said in a letter to the President.
Disrupting business
He said the power interruptions have
also disrupted business operations.
“It has resulted in undue stress on
the island’s tourism industry,” he said.
Schrottmann said the frequent
outages bring about a “collective feeling of injustice” among residents and
members of the business community, who devoted their lives marketing the island
as a top tourist destination.
“It’s getting worse,” said Djila Winebrenner,
a member of PCCI-Boracay.
“There are power interruptions daily
in certain areas, lasting from 20 to 40 minutes. At times, it is up to several
hours,” said Winebrenner, who has been living on the island in the last 12
years.
She said residents reported that
their air-conditioning units, television sets and computers broke down due to
the unstable power supply.
Exasperated, residents took to
social media, through the Facebook page “Concerned Akelco (Aklan Electric
Cooperative) Consumers,” to air their frustrations as the situation continued
even on Christmas Day and the start of the year.
“Is this a war zone or a tourist
destination?” a resident asked.
Alexis Regalado, general manager of
Akelco, which distributes power to the 1,032-hectare island, attributed the
outages to the transfer of electric posts standing on private lots and to
fruit bats and geckos coming in contact with electric wires. He said strong
wind has also been causing power lines to trip.
Improving supply
He said Akelco plans to install a
bigger distribution line connecting Barangay Yapak, at the northern end of the
island, to stabilize supply up to its southern tip. But he said the
P14-million project is still at its
procurement stage.
Power demand in Boracay has reached
a high of 26 megawatts a day as tourists continue to flock to the island famed
for its powdery white sand and crystal clear waters.
Tourist arrivals on the island
posted a new high of 1.72 million last year, an increase of 11 percent from the
1.56 million in 2015, according to records of the Malay municipal tourism
office and Department of Tourism.
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