MONTHS since President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos vetoed the law granting the expansion of the franchise coverage of the Davao Light and Power Company (Davao Light) to other parts of Davao del Norte, Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) Mayor Al David Uy called it a "mistake" as the island continues to suffer poor power connection.
"The solution was there already in the hands of the national government pero wala ta mahimo (but we can’t do anything about it). They went the other way. Hopefully sana makita nila ni kay ako (they would see this because I,) personally, what they did with the veto was a mistake," Uy said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
Marcos, nearly a month since assuming the presidency, vetoed House Bill No. 10554, which would expand the coverage area of the Davao Light to the cities of Tagum and Island Garden City of Samal and the towns of Talaingod, Asuncion, Kapalong, San Isidro and New Corella in Davao del Norte. The areas are currently serviced by the North Davao Electric Cooperative (Nordeco), which has been criticized by key officials in the province and some of its member-consumer-owners (MCOs) due to frequent brownouts and poor service.
Based on the letter dated July 27, the President explained that the bill cannot be approved as it violates a provision in the constitution provided that Nordeco's franchise in the province has yet to expire in 2028 and 2033.
Uy, who first broke the news on his social media, said in a recent interview that he is still disappointed with the Bill being vetoed, calling it a missed opportunity for the island.
The mayor said that the island continues to experience frequent power outages as the submarine cable connecting the Davao-Samal area collapsed on Christmas Day, December 25.
"Siguro tungod sa ka-old age, and na-overload ang kable tungod sa kadaghan sa need sa kuryente, nibigay na gyud siya (Maybe because it’s already old, and the cable is already overloaded due to the demand for electricity, resulting in it to shutting down)," Uy said.
He said that there has been a call for the need to have a major overhaul of the island's submarine cable system.
With this, a huge portion of the island experiences three to six hours of rotational brownout.
This also affects the island's water supply and internet connection.
Uy said they are appealing to the national government and Nordeco to provide modular generator sets as soon as possible.
Unless the submarine cable connecting Igacos and Pantukan in Davao de Oro will operate within the first quarter of 2023, the mayor said their power woes will continue.
The mayor also said this would also affect their tourism industry.
"Hopefully makita na ni sa national [government] kay dugay na nga desperate ang sitwasyon sa Samal (the national government will see how long Samal Island is desperate in its situation)," Uy said.
SunStar Davao reached out to Nordeco to get their side, but they have not responded as of press time. RGL