The light at the end of the tunnel is now in sight for the long-suffering residents of Palawan following efforts of the Department of Energy to ramp up support for a multi-sectoral program to end the recurrent brownouts in the province once and for all.
In a meeting last week, various stakeholders in the public and private sectors came up with various programs based on the recent findings and recommendations of the DOE’s Task Force PALECO.
The special task force was created in February by Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi to address the power interruptions in Puerto Princesa and other parts of Palawan .
The Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee and the Task Force met with the representatives of the Palawan Electric Cooperative, the National Power Corp., and provincial government agencies on Thursday (July 25) to discuss the progress of the implementation of their respective action plans.
PALECO has been facing an angry backlash from both its consumers and the local government since 2017 due to unreliable electricity services in the province.
In February this year, Secretary Cusi directed TF PALECO to look into the power interruptions perennially bugging Palawan through a Performance Audit and Assessment. To this end, the Task Force conducted two site validations in February and March.
The Task Force’s findings included the uncoordinated synchronization of the protection system of PALECO and NPC’s distributions lines; overloaded substations; vegetation obstruction along distribution lines; and the slow coordination among various government agencies on distribution line maintenance and improvements.
Based on these findings, the DOE directed PALECO, NPC, and the National Electrification Administration to submit implementation programs. PALECO was expected to accelerate tree clearing activities along its distribution lines, while the NPC was requested to fast track the improvement of its transmission lines and upgrade its power substations.
In the meeting, the IACC-TF PALECO also presented its final report to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), a multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary body governing and implementing policies in the province, headed by Gov. Jose Chavez Alvarez. The PCSD has pledged to help foster efficient coordination among the various relevant stakeholders and local government
Agencies to effectively address all the issues surrounding the matter. The council’s members include local government units and agencies, consumer and business groups, as well as indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples,
“The DOE is committed to taking the lead in ensuring that PALECO’s issues will soon be addressed. With the cooperation of all stakeholders, particularly the PALECO Board of Directors, its management member-consumers, as well as the local government agencies, we should be able to provide high quality electricity services that Palawenos deserve,” Secretary Cusi said.