LOCAL consumer group Davao Consumer Movement (DCM) has called out Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (Nordeco) for failing to meet their “self-imposed deadline” to fix the power crisis in the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) by the end of May.
At present, Igacos is experiencing power outages due to the power supply not being able to meet the power demands of the island city.
When asked on what their plans are to address the power crisis on the island, representatives of Nordeco told Senator Raffy Tulfo during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy last May 24 that they will provide an additional two megawatts modular generator sets.
Nordeco said the power in Igacos will be temporarily stable by the end of May while they continue to work on a permanent solution to the power crisis by June 30 of this year.
“Ongoing ang pagayos ng dalawang modular genset ng Nordeco, pag secure ng spare parts, para maibalik ang connectivity (The repair of two modular genset and securing of spare parts is ongoing in order to fix the connectivity). While at the same time, darating ang dalawang additional reserves ng modular generator set,” a Nordeco representative said during the Senate Committee hearing.
However, DCM said power outages continue in Igacos despite Nordeco’s statement that the two-megawatt modular generator sets "were already operational since the evening of May 30, 2023 together with the repaired one-megawatt modular generator set of Nordeco."
“Now it is now almost half a month after Nordeco’s self-imposed deadline, yet blackouts are still the norm in Samal. We now call on the government to take Nordeco at its own words and let it face the consequences of this crisis,” DCM said in a statement on Wednesday.
“There are several bills in the House of Representatives to transfer the franchise of Davao del Norte to Davao Light and Power Company. We urge our representatives to take these seriously and pass a law that will finally end this power crisis,” DCM added.
At the same time, Tulfo introduced Senate Resolution No. 629 to investigate Nordeco and the power crisis in Igacos and discuss possible solutions to the power crisis moving forward.
“Committee on Energy shall investigate the NORDECO and assess its negligence, if any, in failing to address the increasing electricity demand on Samal Island,” the resolution read.
Currently, Igacos only has a 6.12-megawatts power supply with a demand of 9-MW. The island city has been in a state of calamity since March 16 of this year due to the ongoing power crisis. ICM