Brownouts frustrate residents

Published November 23, 2017, 10:00 PM By Jinky Tabor

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/11/23/brownouts-frustrate-residents/

Virac, Catanduanes — Frequent power outages in this province have driven residents to take their frustrations to social media sites, expressing fear of blackouts in the Christmas season and slamming the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative (FICELCO) for a year of electric supply woes.

Marlon Suplig, President of the Catanduanes Crusaders Against Illegal Drugs and Corruption Inc. (CCAIDC), said the frequency of brownouts in the province is tantamount to economic sabotage.

Suplig said FICELCO is mainly to be blamed for allegedly failing to release correct power interruption advisories to its consumers – critical information to industries, commercial and public office operations.

He said the CCAIDC is already planning to file a case against FICELCO for alleged systematic, deliberate, and malicious simultaneous power outages.

In Twitter and Facebook, many local consumers are questioning the power interruptions despite high electricity rates.

Provincial Board Member Natalio Popa Jr. has taken note of these complaints and, as chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Committee on Energy, also demands an explanation from the FICELCO on why these brownouts cannot be resolved.

Earlier, Catanduanes Representative Cesar V. Sarmiento said that even National Power Corporation (Napocor) President Pio Benavidez has stated that the province has more than sufficient supply of power and that the power outages in the province are unreasonable.

He said only 11 megawatts is the needed electric supply in the province which already has 15 megawatts.

The Catanduanes Power Generation Incorporated (CPGI) holds the lease contract to operate and maintain Napocor’s 1×3.6 Megawatts diesel power plant (DPP) genset. Its lease agreement is set to expire.

Meanwhile, Floro Barrameda of Sunwest Water and Eletric Co. (SUWECO) disputed FICELCO’s claim that the power interruptions are triggered by the low water level in its hydropower plants.

Barrameda stated in a letter to FICELCO that there is sufficient power supply in Catanduanes and that there is abundant supply of water for SUWECO to operate the hydropower plants.