Cagayan to hold barangay polls sans power

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines  – The country’s northernmost province of Cagayan is holding today’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections without electricity as a result of last Monday’s onslaught of typhoon “Juan.”

Provincial government administrator Joseph Pauig said power has yet to be restored since the typhoon battered the province, toppling electric posts and slicing cables.

“We are now considering using generators for the polls in case power will not be restored until (today), although (power officials) promised us it would be back in time for the elections,” he said.

But if there is still no power today, the barangays, Pauig said, will hold the voting one hour earlier so there will still be sunlight when counting starts. 

“Instead of 7 a.m. as (nationally) scheduled, we will start the voting at 6 a.m. so that the counting will begin one hour earlier than what was set by the poll body,” he said.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it was doing its best to restore power in the province last night at the earliest or this morning in time for the balloting.

Reports said the NGCP was already able to restore close to 50 percent of its transmission towers toppled by the typhoon.

Among the damaged facilities were the ones connecting Gamu town in Isabela to Tuguegarao City in Cagayan.

NGCP spokeswoman Cynthia Alabanza said they have sought augmentation personnel from other areas to help immediately restore the damaged power facilities.

Besides Cagayan, reports said power has also yet to be restored in some parts of Isabela as well as in Kalinga and Apayao in the northern Cordillera.