Not all Northern Cebu homes have electricity

CEBU, Philippines - Power is back but not all homes are lighted in typhoon-stricken areas of Northern Cebu.

 Antonio Labios, Department of Energy (DOE)-7 regional director, said the town centers in 13 places that were badly hit by super typhoon Yolanda are already 100 percent energized.

There are areas, however, that remain without electrical connection two months after Yolanda damaged infrastructure in northern Cebu.

Yesterday, Jose Rey Maleza, DOE-7 Energy Industry Management Division supervisor, said some households, especially those that were destroyed, and sitios are still not connected to power lines.

"Ang mga balay mismo ang wala pay (The families themselves have no) connection kay nangaguba man ang ilang balay (because their houses were destroyed.) Those partially damaged houses kay gipang (are being) inspect(ed) pa ang ilang mga connection for safety purposes," Maleza said.

He said the Cebu Electric Cooperative, Camotes Electric Cooperative, and the Bantayan Electric Cooperative still have to make sure that the houses are safe for electrical installation.

Maleza said he will release today the statistics on households and sitios that do not have yet electrical connection.

 The northern part of Cebu was without electricity in the wake of super typhoon Yolanda.  Residents had to endure dark nights for three weeks before electric cooperatives were able to slowly energize the towns.

The typhoon-affected areas are the towns of Tabogon, Tabuelan, San Remigio, Medellin, Daanbantayan, Sta. Fe, Madridejos, Bantayan, Tudela, Poro, Pilar, and San Francisco and the city of Bogo.— (FREEMAN)