THE Department of Energy (DOE) assured there will be no power interruption during the May 13 polls to help ensure a credible election.
DOE Visayas Director Saul Gonzales said his agency and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) have met with stakeholders in the power sector, including those in power generation, power transmission and power distribution, to discuss the power situation, especially during the elections.
In Cebu, Gonzales said they also met with officials of the power-generating plants in Toledo City and City of Naga, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines to discuss the transmission and officials of power-distribution utilities like Visayan Electric Company, Cebu Electric Cooperative, Mactan Electric Company and Bantayan Electric Cooperative.
Gonzales said maintenance work on all power plants was finished last January. There will be no additional maintenance work until after the elections, he said.
Earlier, Omar Shariff Mamalinta of the Comelec in Cebu City also assured the public of no brownouts during the election, especially during the counting of votes.
Mamalinta said continuous power supply will ensure that no part of the voting and counting activities inside the precincts will be disrupted.
“If during the election there is an uncontrollable interruption, we want to make sure that power will be back in seconds or minutes,” Gonzales said. (EOB)