President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assured Siquijor residents Wednesday of swift government action to resolve the island’s worsening power crisis, setting a six-month deadline for both short- and long-term solutions.
During an on-site inspection and media interview, President Marcos acknowledged the severe impact of extended blackouts on residents and local businesses, especially as the province grows into a major tourist destination.
“People only get electricity for two to five hours a day. This can’t continue,” Mr. Marcos said. “The people of Siquijor are the victims here, and we need to fix this immediately,” he added.
To address the crisis in the short-term, Mr. Marcos said that the government has deployed two modular generator sets (gensets) from Palawan, expected to arrive within 24 hours.
These units are seen as a temporary fix to restore full electricity service while the government works with the Siquijor Island Power Corporation (SIPCOR) on a long-term solution.
National Electrification Administration (NEA) Antonio Mariano Almeda said the two-megawatt (MW) genset from Palawan will be operated by the power distributor Province of Siquijor Island Electric Cooperative, Inc. (PROSIELCO) while SIPCOR repairs its damaged generation units.
“This genset solution is only temporary,” President Marcos emphasized. “Within six months, we will have a permanent fix in place so that we don’t have to rely on emergency generators again,” he added.
President Marcos made it clear that SIPCOR must fulfill its obligations, adding that damage to the power system was partly due to operational failures. “The government will do its part. SIPCOR must do theirs,” he said.
The Chief Executive noted that the government is open to all solutions, including replacing SIPCOR as the power supplier. “Everything is on the table. We just have to examine what is the best solution. We have some very good ideas,” he said.
President Marcos said the administration is also looking into issues such as fuel supply, transmission lines, and equipment repair. He also noted that the NEA has laid out a framework for addressing the crisis, and detailed planning is now underway.
The Department of Energy (DOE) recently reported that the recurring blackouts in the island stemmed from power supply shortage on the end of its lone energy provider, SIPCOR whose main generation units have broken down.
NEA explained that Siquijor has a baseload requirement of 6.8MW, peaking at around 9MW, but SIPCOR at the moment manages to only generate at least 4.5MW, resulting in rotational outages across the entire island.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Originally posted with the headline “PBBM meets with stakeholders to address Siquijor power crisis.”