FOLLOWING the series of earthquakes that recently struck Davao Oriental, the Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative (Doreco) has announced a one-month suspension of penalties and disconnection activities for consumers whose houses were totally damaged.
The move was in response to the request of the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental for a one-billing-cycle moratorium on billing and disconnection activities for consumers affected by the earthquakes.
“Disconnection activities and the imposition of penalties for identified and confirmed totally damaged metered houses in the municipality of Manay and other affected areas in Davao Oriental with unpaid accounts for October 2025 are temporarily suspended to provide relief to our affected member-consumer-owners (MCOs),” Doreco wrote in its official response.
On Oct. 20, Governor Nelson Dayanghirang formally wrote to Doreco, the province’s primary electric distributor, and to local water utilities across the province, requesting the temporary suspension to help ease the financial strain on affected consumers and allow them to focus on recovery.
Prior to the release of Doreco’s official announcement, General Manager Engr. Ferdinand Hernaez met with Dayanghirang on Oct. 22 to discuss the request and explore how they could further assist in the province’s relief and rehabilitation initiatives.
The governor noted that while the moratorium is temporary, it will provide meaningful relief to indigent residents in the towns most severely affected by the earthquakes and will help sustain the province’s continuing recovery efforts.
While Doreco has already responded favorably, the provincial government is still awaiting similar action from local water utilities across the province.
“The Provincial Government remains hopeful and optimistic as it awaits official response from the concerned [utilities] regarding this request,” the provincial local government unit stated in a Facebook post.
Quake victim statistics
Meanwhile, according to data from the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental, at present, a total of 204,175 families are affected across the province.
In terms of damaged houses, 1,091 houses were reported as totally damaged, while 16,277 sustained partial damage.
Davao Oriental Provincial Information Officer Atty. Lovella Fe Tacder clarified that only four casualties have been recorded in the province as of the latest official report.
The provincial government, in coordination with various national government agencies, continues to carry out response and recovery efforts.
For instance, evacuees from Tarragona and Manay have been transferred to the tent city managed by the Philippine Red Cross, while the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has begun constructing modular houses in Manay and Tarragona to provide safer and more stable shelter for displaced families. PIA DAVAO