Occidental Mindoro under state of calamity

Due to 20-hour daily power outages

MANILA, Philippines — Occidental Mindoro has been placed under a state of calamity due to 20-hour daily power outages for more than a month now.

“Since we have power supply for only four hours, businesses are closing down,” Gov. Eduardo Gadiano said in an interview over dzBB.

He said even popular fastfood chains are planning to close their stores in the province due to daily power interruptions.

Gadiano said the agriculture and fisheries sectors were also affected.

“Ang ating mga hospitals talagang kawawa. Yung mga pasyente kailangan mag-generator para mabuhay,” he said.

Gadiano said he received reports of students collapsing in schools due to intense heat.

With the calamity declaration, the provincial government can tap funds allocated for disasters to respond to the power crisis.

However, Gadiano said the provincial government can tap a maximum of only P10 million to buy generator sets and fuel to ensure that the seven hospitals in the province are operational for 20 hours a day.

“Yung budget namin siyempre hindi puwede gamitin yung pang buong taon... April pa lang tayo,” he said.

Gadiano said the only power source in the province, Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corp. (OMCPC), has no budget to buy fuel due to delayed subsidy payments from the National Power Corp.

‘DOE helping address power crisis’

Meanwhile, Department of Energy Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said the DOE and its attached agencies in coordination with the Energy Regulatory Commission are providing assistance and guidance to Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) in improving electricity services in the province.

Guevara said the DOE has issued a certification of exemption from the conduct of competitive selection process in the procurement of electricity supply to augment the current power capacity being supplied by OMCPC.

She said the National Electrification Administration is assisting OMECO in its search for available generator sets.

Local officials of Sablayan town called for a “realistic and convincing resolution to this decade-long energy debacle.”

They have appealed to President Marcos to intervene.

”This power crisis has been pestering us for decades in the municipality of Sablayan and the whole of Occidental Mindoro,” the local officials said. — Richmond Mercurio