Power restored in Abra

THE electricity in Abra was fully restored Thursday after the Abra Electric Cooperative (Abreco) paid the monthly P16-million electricity fee to power supplier, Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc. (Apri).

Apri cut off power in Abra for five hours starting noon Thursday due to Abreco’s failure to meet its responsibilities stipulated in the contract with Apri.

Abreco general manager Loreto Seares Jr. said the power was restored after Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Carlos Petilla interceded in behalf of Abreco and after the cooperative fully paid its dues.

Abra Governor Eustaquio Bersamin called for an emergency meeting of the Provincial Board following the power outage and declared a state of emergency.

The Board later moved to ask Bersamin, the National Electrification Administration (NEA), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the DOE to help resolve the crisis.

Bersamin shelled out P5 million from the province’s calamity fund to pay Abreco’s backlog to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), according to Serafin Alzate, Abra’s public information officer.

A supposed blackout on alleged unpaid obligations to Apri was also averted in December 27 last year after Abreco paid the P4.9-million balance of its monthly dues.

The first blackout was a 27-hour power outage in December 10.

Another blackout was supposedly scheduled by the NGCP and Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm) last January 3.

Both companies are allegedly being pressured by several Abra leaders so they could use the cooperative’s financial woes to oust the Abreco management. The blackout never came.

Abreco is servicing at least 47,000 Abrenios in all 27 towns of Abra.