Guv seeks inquiry on national grid firm in Samar

CATARMAN – Governor Paul Daza urged the Provincial Board to conduct an immediate inquiry on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) because of the frequent blackouts in Northern Samar.

“I’m already angry with the service. This is greatly damaging, not only to the people but to the economy of Northern Samar…in the whole province,” Daza said.

The governor’s ire stemmed from the latest two-day power interruption in the province on Sunday morning, September 16, which lasted until the evening of Monday, September 17.
 
The NCGP has earlier announced a 12-hour power interruption only from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday.
 
The temporary cut off of electricity to Northern Samar Electric Cooperative was part of the planned maintenance schedule of NGCP to replace rotten poles and repair on the Calbayog-Palanas Cara-Catarman 69kv transmission lines.
 
However, the electricity returned at 8:37 p.m. on Monday that only lasted for an hour; the lights went off again at 9:27 a.m.
 
The long blackout irritated the residents of Northern Samar, especially that power outages here happen not only during weekends but also on weekdays.

He said he received numerous complaints from businessmen about the unstable electricity in the province.
 
The governor hopes that the real situation of the “worsening” electricity here will be resolved once the probe is done.
 
Daza remembers that in 2009, when he was still congressman of the first district here, officials of the then National Transmission Corporation (Transco) promised during a power summit that the upgrading of transmission lines to Northern Samar would be finished by 2011 or 2012.

Trees blamed
 
In its media advisories, the NGCP explained that the Palanas-Cara-Catarman transmission lines “tripped off” when their personnel started to restore the electricity on Sunday evening.
 
Elmer Cruz, corporate information officer of NGCP, said a coconut tree fell over the conductors at Barangay Roño, Oquindo District in Calbayog City, which caused the said trip off.
 
The following Monday morning the power was restored but went off again after only an hour, due to another tripping of the Palanas Cara-Catarman-Allen or Bobolosan 69kv transmission line.
 
Last Thursday, an unannounced blackout occurred in the province that lasted for five hours. The NGCP explained, in a media advisory, that the blackout was caused by the tree that leaned over the conductors in Barangay Bayho in Lope De Vega town. A resident of the said barangay reportedly cut the tree that leaned on the conductors. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)