Poe says Visayas brownouts causing economic losses
May 5, 2023
Poe says Visayas brownouts causing economic losses
Senator Grace Poe bewailed the economic losses to businesses and tourism in Panay and Negros Islands, including Iloilo province due to recurring power outages.
"Talagang nakakagalit at nakakalungkot itong nangyayari," the chairperson of the Senate committee on public services said.
"Sa panahong ito, pa'no mabubuhay ang turismo at negosyo sa Iloilo at Panay Island kung patay-sindi ang kuryente?" Poe said.
The senator lamented she has been receiving complaints from various groups and residents of the provinces about the drawn-out brownouts which have caused distress and disturbance to businesses and homes.
For the past six months, the said Visayas provinces have been enduring unannounced power interruption or blackout that would last for a whole day.
"Napakainit ngayon para mawalan ng kuryente at saka ang Iloilo pa naman napakaganda ng improvements. Marami nang pumupunta dyan na mga turista," Poe said.
"Hindi naman pwede na ganyan ang serbisyo ng kuryente. Nakakaapekto rin ito sa mga estudyante dahil mahirap mag-aral kung para kang nasa loob ng pugon. Sa ating mga magsasaka naman, pa'no aandar ang mga mekanismo nila sa bukid kung walang kuryente? Malaking perwisyo talaga ito," she added.
The senator said she also received reports about an elderly who had asthma attack due to heat, but could not avail of PhilHealth benefits because her records were not updated.
She said this and similar issues should be fixed to allow members to avail of the services of the government.
Poe recently filed Senate Resolution No. 579 calling for an inquiry into the Panay Island power outages and seeking solution to finally end the residents' woes.
Poe said there is a need to find out the cause of the grid disturbances reported by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) allegedly due to the tripping of distribution utilities (DUs).
The DUs, meanwhile, have pointed to the NGCP as the origin of the problem.
"Maraming isyu ang NGCP. Hindi lamang ang kanilang serbisyo kundi pati pagmamay-ari at pamamalakad niyan. Kailangan ayusin 'yan ng NGCP," Poe said."
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
