Residents of Siquijor Island are hopeful for a new chapter of stable electricity as a new power supplier prepares to take over to end months of disruptive outages that have crippled the island’s economy.
The transition follows the provincial government’s declaration of a state of calamity in June 2025 due to daily power outages lasting more than 10 hours. The frequent blackouts caused losses for households and businesses, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to visit the island and order two generators deployed from Palawan as a temporary fix.
Lawyer Dale Tudtud, chief of staff for Siquijor Gov. Jake Villa and the provincial tourism officer, said the community is focused on getting reliable service, regardless of the provider.
“The only thing we really care about is that the government will provide the best services to the people of Siquijor, regardless of who is handling it,” Tudtud said.
The move comes after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) last week canceled the provisional authority of the previous supplier, Siquijor Island Power Corp. (SIPCOR), and ordered its plant to shut down.
The new firm, TotalPower, Inc., has signed an emergency power supply agreement with the power distributor, the Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative Inc. (PROSIELCO), to supply 15.3 megawatts to the island.
To facilitate the transition, National Electrification Administration chief Antonio Mariano Almeda mobilized linemen from neighboring electric cooperatives, including those from Cebu I and Cebu III, to assist PROSIELCO in setting up take-off terminals for the new plants.
The hope for a stable power supply is high among residents, who see TotalPower as a long-awaited solution.
“We cannot have a repeat of what happened in the past few months, where essential services, basic necessities, and the tourism industry were disrupted because electricity could not be provided,” Tudtud said.
Meanwhile, power consumer advocates hope the Marcos administration will address similar power supply problems in other provinces, including Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Palawan, Mindoro Oriental and Occidental, Albay, Basilan and parts of Northern Samar.
