AS MALAPASCUA Island residents in northern Cebu face frequent power interruptions and rotational brownouts, the Cebu Provincial Government is plannning to rent generators from a private firm, which will be stationed on the island to provide additional electricity supply to this remote area.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said the island’s residents and businesses have already suffered from the unreliable power supply that led to a decline in tourism and disrupted the livelihood of the residents.
So, she said, the Capitol took the initiative to contact and source out generating sets. Garcia also advised the Capitol’s legal office to prepare an executive order for the matter.
“I shall invoke the general welfare clause of RA (Republic Act) 7160 given that the present situation in Malapascua has not only been detrimental to the businesses. It has become a matter of lives possibly getting lost,” said Garcia in a press conference on Friday, May 17, 2024.
“You know, it’s much hotter there in Malapascua Island than here, and it’s already very hot here (in mainland Cebu),” she added.
The governor said the Capitol had secured generator sets from a private company, though she did not disclose the firm’s name.
Garcia said the Capitol has arranged for their delivery to Malapascua Island within the next three days. These generator sets are capable of supplying an additional two megawatts (MW) of electricity to the island.
She expressed hope that they can resolve the situation by the end of this week.
Malapascua Island, which hosts Barangay Logon, is under the territorial jurisdiction of the mainland town of Daanbantayan. The island attracts tourists with its white sand beaches and reputation as a prime diving destination, particularly for encounters with thresher sharks.
Power interruption
Garcia said the Power Source Philippines Inc. (PSPI), the sole power distributor of the island, has one malfunctioning generator out of four, resulting in insufficient electricity production to meet the island’s demand.
She also noted a problem with PSPI’s transformer, leading to power tripping. She said this situation began during the Holy Week.
The Malapascua Business Association also wrote to the Office of the Mayor of Daanbantayan, which was then endorsed to the governor’s office, regarding the complaints they received from resorts and business establishments about the constant power interruptions.
Meeting
Last May 10, Garcia met with representatives from PSPI, the National Power Corp. (NPC), along with Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura and the Logon barangay captain.
During the meeting, Garcia revealed that the cause of the power interruption was the inadequate maintenance of the island’s sole power facility.
PSPI informed Garcia that it is currently unable to supply additional generators to offset the power interruption.
There was a suggestion to initiate the government’s Interruptible Load Program (ILP) to help maintain an adequate power supply.
This allows private resorts and businesses on the island to de-load by using their own generator sets or by reducing their operations during peak hours, which they will be subsequently compensated on the difference, Garcia said.
Garcia wrote on May 10 to NPC president Fernando Martin Roxas through its Visayas representative Timmy Dacor, requesting them to deploy Power Barge 113, a specialized vessel that acts as a floating power plant, to augment the power interruption on the island.
NPC, a Philippine government-owned corporation, is tasked with providing electricity to rural areas, managing water resources for power generation, and optimizing other power-generating assets.
The Power Barge 113 could supply 2.5 MW of electricity to Malapascua Island.
However, she said she was dissatisfied with the NPC’s reply on May 16 regarding the Power Barge 113 deployment, as it involved PSPI relinquishing its contractual obligation to continue providing electricity on the island.
Garcia said she could not force PSPI to relinquish its obligations and she feared it would only result in prolonged power interruption and rotational brownout, or worse total blackout on the island.
Garcia said she already informed Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla of the plan including introducing ILP as a contingency, who has allowed it to proceed as scheduled. / EHP