CL electric co-ops to help restore power in Aurora

BALER, Aurora, Philippines – Rural electric cooperatives (RECs) in Central Luzon have banded together and formed a task force that would help the Aurora Electric Cooperative (Aurelco) restore electricity by rehabilitating over 500 damaged poles in three northern towns of the province.

The RECs, which belong to the Central Luzon Electric Cooperatives Association (CLECA), created “Task Force Labuyo” composed of 60 foremen and linemen equipped with 11 boom trucks who were dispatched to the northern Aurora towns of Dinalungan, Casiguran and Dilasag, also known as the Dicadi area. 

The Dicadi area was one of those hardest-hit by Typhoon Labuyo which left in its wake three persons dead and over P500 million worth of properties, infrastructure and crops destroyed. It also affected 12,000 families in Aurora alone.

For days, the Dicadi towns were isolated due to landslides, the overflowing of rivers and toppled communication lines.

REC executives, headed by National Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives-Region 3 and Pampanga Electric Cooperative Inc. 1 chief Loliano Alas, led the sendoff of the task force members following a conference at the headquarters of the Nueva Ecija Electric Cooperative Inc.-II Area 1 (Neeco II A1) in Talavera, Nueva Ecija last Thursday.

Representatives of the National Electrification Administration and Talavera Mayor Neri Santos-Martinez graced the sendoff.

Engineer Noel Vedad, Aurelco general manager, said the typhoon toppled 531 electric poles. Damage was placed at around P600,000.

Reynaldo Villanueva, CLECA president and Neeco II A1 board chairman, said the task force will provide services to Aurelco for free. Aurelco’s only equity is the provision of food and shelter to the task force personnel.

“Actually, this is the first time that Region 3 will be having this kind of task force,” Villanueva said.