CATIGBIAN, Bohol Mayor Virgilio Lurot said his constituents have been suffering from power outage since super-typhoon Yolanda ravaged Visayas last Friday.
“Maayo pa tong linog andar pa ang kuryente,” he said in a phone interview.
He said Yolanda brought no major damage in the town, which was also affected by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake last Oct. 15.
Catigbian, he said, is not badly hit by the typhoon because it is situated in the interior portion of Bohol and surrounded by mountains.
“Hinay ra kaayo ang hangin (The wind was not strong),” said Lurot.
In Sagbayan, Mayor Ricardo Suarez said they are also experiencing brownout for three days already. He said there were trees that fell on the roads and hit some wires, but these were already cleared.
The town is identified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) as the epicenter of the quake that also hit Cebu, Siquijor, Negros Island, and Iloilo. The tremor claimed 222 lives.
According to the 2010 census, there are more than 20,000 people in Sagbayan and 22,000 in Catigbian.
Province-wide
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said there is still a province-wide power outage in Bohol. The province’s main source of electricity is from a power plant in Leyte, which was damaged by Yolanda.
The restoration of the plant may take two months, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) reported.
Last Nov. 3, NDRRMC reported in its website that electricity was fully restored in 22 of the 26 quake-hit towns. Bohol was still experiencing aftershocks that day.
But yesterday, the Bohol Provincial Government started rationing 15 megawatts power supply. The source is from a diesel power plant and hydro power plants in Loboc and Sevilla towns.
Electricity was restored in some parts of Tagbilaran City. Hospitals, commercial establishments, and water suppliers are given priority in the power rationing.
As result of the massive brownouts, Lurot and Suarez said their water supply is also affected. They said their secondary source of water are deep and artesian wells.
Jagna
Jagna Mayor Fortunato Abrenilla suspended the classes of public and private schools in all levels starting today until tomorrow because of tropical depression Zoraida.
Bohol was placed under signal no. 1 by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Lurot and Suarez said several families have started to return to their homes. There were only few families that stayed in evacuation centers.
They said distribution of relief goods from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and private organizations have started to dwindle.
Suarez said DSWD will not stop delivering food packs that are good for 10 days until next month. Lurot said the last time they received relief goods from DSWD was days before Yolanda entered the Philippines.