IN THIS age of instant communication, with Facebook-Messenger, Twitter and other apps, you think you’ll be informed of any inconveniences when there are power outages.

Here is what was posted in the Ceneco Facebook account:

Date: March 6, 2020- Friday

Time: 3:23 PM

Affected Feeder: Alijis Feeder 3 (AF3)

Reason: Primary Wire Down at Trunkline near Bangga Riles, Alijis.

Here is the downer: “No estimated time of power restoration. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

I got to read this on Saturday, March 7, the day after. “Sorry for the inconvenience!”

Here is what my American friend Ron Rathbun told me of his frustrations since he went to Bacolod with his Filipina wife in 1974: Bacoleños have been tolerating Ceneco’s power unpredictable outage inconveniences. Ron is now a retiree.

I agree with Ron’s observations. The problem is that Filipinos put up with these inconveniences. I observed this Filipino attitude when no one at home bothered to call Ceneco to complain. When I commented, the others were defending Ceneco’s incompetence.

To think that two years ago, the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) said Bacolod is a potential retirement destination with the city’s infrastructure in place, especially for foreigners.

“We are looking at Bacolod and other cities like Dumaguete and Iloilo to develop as retirement destinations outside the National Capital Region [NCR],” said Ketslynn Quiletorio, information officer III of the PRA’s Client Relations Division, who was in the city on May 3 for the Tourism Enterprise Zone Investment Roadshow.

Really? Can European, North American, Japanese or others put up with these inconveniences?

Of what use are the amenities, including entertainment venues, shopping malls and hospitals, near the sites with natural attractions with intermittent electricity?

In Negros Occidental alone, retirees are living within the city, which is near the entertainment establishments and shopping areas. Quiletorio said since these retirees, who are mostly in their 50s and 60s, came from developed countries, they want the supermarket, hospital, and other amenities more accessible to them. She said Negrenses should welcome the retirees. With what? That we are experts in brownouts?