A LOCAL consumer watchdog has criticized power utilities and regulators for delays in restoring electricity to hospitals in Cebu following a string of recent disasters.
The Cebu Electricity Rights Advocates (Cera) said prolonged outages are affecting Balamban Provincial Hospital (served by Cebu Electric Cooperative 3), Sogod Hospital and Danao City Hospital (both under Cebu Electric Cooperative 2), forcing them to rely on costly generator sets.
In a statement on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, Cera convenor Nathaniel Chua called the slow response “a public health failure,” warning that patient care and safety are at risk.
“Hospitals in Sogod, Danao and Balamban should have been among the first to regain power due to their importance, especially in northern Cebu. Instead, they remain severely constrained,” he said.
The group also urged Cebu’s electric cooperatives, Visayan Electric Company and the Department of Energy to deploy dedicated crews to restore stable, grid-powered electricity to hospitals, health centers and water facilities. Cera also reiterated calls for long-term resilience measures such as underground cabling and local energy generation to mitigate future disaster risks.
Chua stressed the urgency of proactive action. “We cannot keep repeating the same mistakes after every calamity. We need to act swiftly — for the good of everyone,” he said. / KOC