DOE assures enough power, oil supply as lockdown extended in some areas

ABS-CBN News Posted at Apr 25 2020 12:08 PM
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/25/20/doe-assures-enough-power-oil-supply-as-lockdown-extended-in-some-areas

MANILA - The government has assured the public that there is enough power and oil supply as the country continued to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.

At the "Laging Handa" press briefing Saturday, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said having enough supply of electricity and petroleum is vital in the fight against coronavirus.

"[Mayroon tayong] dire-diretsong suplay ng kuryente at oil dahil ito ang nagbibigay ng power para makapaglingkod ang frontliners sa pagsimula pa lang nitong lockdown o ECQ," Cusi said.

(We have continued supply of electricity and oil because this has been giving power to frontliners to serve from the start of this lockdown or ECQ [enhanced community quarantine].)

Millions in Luzon have been told to stay in their homes under the Luzon-wide quarantine, expected to drive up electricity consumption as many also shifted to working from home.

The demand for oil has, meanwhile, declined with public transport suspended and the use of private vehicles restricted only to supply runs.

The ECQ, set to end on April 30 in Luzon, has been extended in several areas until May 15, including Metro Manila, where most of the country's coronavirus cases have been recorded.

Cusi said there is enough energy supply for the demand, adding that health and safety protocols are being observed in plants to prevent infection among staff.

"Imagine sa isang planta ng generation andiyan po ang tao, andiyan lahat... operator, engineer andiyan po sila lahat and we want to make sure na wala silang magkasakit," Cusi said.

(Imagine in one plant for generation, there are staff members, operators, and engineers, and we want to make sure that no one will get sick.)

Gasoline stations would, meanwhile, continue to operate with enough supply to keep them going. About 10 percent of oil retailers- those located in areas where few people pass- have been closed amid the slump in demand, the energy chief said.

"Sa mga gas station, tuloy-tuloy ang pagseserbisyo niyan at pagbibigay ng produkto, sinisigurado ng gobyerno na magkakaroon ng sapat na suplay," Cusi said.

(The government assures the public that gas stations will have enough supply to continue to provide service to the public.)

Lockdowns worldwide have cut down the demand for fuel, prompting a plunge in oil prices globally.

Gas prices have also dropped in the Philippines, as some parts of the country, particularly Luzon, were put on lockdown from March 17 in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

Cusi said the government has expedited deliveries of oil-based products, amid reports of delays in deliveries because of quarantine checkpoints, Cusi assured.

"We have to make sure we have enough petroleum products. Nagkaroon kami sa una ng problema dahil naaantala ang delivery kaya naayos na (At first we experienced problems due to delivery delays but now, we've sorted it out.)," Cusi said.

As of April 24, the Philippines has logged 7,192 coronavirus cases. Around 762 were recorded to have recovered from the illness, while 477 have died.