THE consumer group Alliance of Concerned Consumers in Electricity and Social Services (Access) urged all stakeholders in the power industry, especially the electricity consumers, to stop the blame game and work together to address the issues on power outages brought about by Typhoon Tino.
Access president Wennie Sancho said there should be an "Emergency Power Restoration Summit" to be conducted by the Liga Ng Mga Barangays.
He said politicians should also not to "ride on" the issue but instead help the consumers by their support and presence in areas where power has not been restored.
"The Bacolod City Government, Negros Power and the consumers should initiate the move immediately," he added.
Sancho noted that in the Philippines, Republic Act 11361 or the "Anti-Obstruction of Power Lines Act," mandates that local government units take measures to prevent obstruction, including tree branches from interfering with power lines.
He said the law requires LGUs to ensure that trees and other vegetation near power lines are trimmed or cut to maintain safe distance to authorize distribution utilities (DUs) to trim or cut trees that pose a risk to power lines and coordinate with DUs to identify and address potential hazards.
"It is unfortunate that most of our barangay councils had not fully implemented the provisions of RA 11361," he added.
Sancho also supported the statement of former governor Rafelito Cosculuela that this is one of the crucial issues to be assessed with the LGUs, including the barangays, on what is the proper policy to be taken with regards to trees vis-a-vis power lines and posts.
He said DUs and LGUs should have effective protocols and clear responsibilities to help and avoid power disruptions due to felled trees and broken branches, stressing that it is time to put aside the blame and come together.
He said the devastation is already done and pointing fingers will not bring back the power.
"Let's focus on rebuilding and supporting each other, the local government, Negros Power and the consumers. We can evaluate what went wrong later, but for now, let's work together to restore what's been lost. We're all in this together, we can help prevent power outages and ensure a safety environment for communities," Sancho said. (MAP)