DOE: P400M needed to restore Masbate power assets
The Department of Energy (DOE) said Tuesday that about P400 million will be needed to restore the electricity services in typhoon-hit Masbate.
Energy officials, led by their chief Sharon Garin, visited Masbate on Tuesday to assess the extent of the damage of Severe Tropical Storm “Opong” (international name: Bualoi) on power assets in the province.
Although there was no estimated damage cost yet, the DOE said transmission lines, distribution facilities, and generation units “sustained significant damage.”
Masbate, now under a state of calamity, was one of the hard-hit areas in Luzon and the Visayas during the onslaught of Opong, which made successive landfalls in the town of Palanas and Milagros early Sept. 26.
‘Moving with urgency’
A price freeze on all basic agricultural commodities has also been put in place in Masbate to ease the burden on typhoon-affected communities.
As of Tuesday, 1,394 farmers and fisherfolk in Masbate were affected by the storm, while over 1,000 hectares of farmland were devastated.
According to the initial assessment by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Bicol, 781 ha were damaged, while 219 ha were destroyed. The combined production loss amounted to 1,236 metric tons, said DA Bicol information officer Lovella Guarin.
Most of the towns were still struggling with power outages and limited communication lines.
The DOE said various electric cooperatives nationwide have been arriving in Masbate to speed up restoration efforts of Masbate Electric Cooperative Inc. (Maselco).
Among the teams of linemen helping restore power in Masbate were from Cebu, Albay, Catanduanes and Iloilo.
“We are moving with urgency, but also with care. Safety remains our top priority for both workers on the ground and the public,” Garin said in a statement.
She assured the residents there that they “will do everything they can to restore electricity as quickly and safely as possible.”
Aside from Maselco, 11 more electric cooperatives in nine provinces across four regions were still under the DOE’s monitoring after two typhoons, coupled with the southwest monsoon, battered the Philippines.
The DOE said areas covered by these cooperatives continued to suffer from partial power interruptions.
