Siquijor execs seek relief for consumers hit by power crisis
BACOLOD CITY—The Siquijor provincial board on Tuesday passed a resolution asking the electricity supplier of the island to give consumers relief amid a power crisis.
Board Member Brylle Deeiah Tumarong Quio said the resolution reflected the collective concern of the provincial legislative body over the continuing power instability affecting households, businesses and essential services across Siquijor.
The resolution urged the Provincial Electric Cooperative of Siquijor (Prosielco) to explore and implement temporary consumer relief options such as payment extensions, disconnection moratoriums or other mitigating actions.
According to Quio, the resolution affirms the board’s commitment to public welfare and economic resilience, especially during critical times.
“The resolution will be endorsed to Prosielco for appropriate action,” she said in a post on Facebook.
“While we await concrete solutions and immediate interventions from the Siquijor Island Power Corp. (Sipcor), it is imperative that we also look into ways to ease the burden of our constituents who continue to suffer the consequences of prolonged outages,” she added.
The board earlier passed a resolution declaring a state of calamity as the province faced widespread blackouts due to the critical breakdown of multiple Sipcor power generation units, resulting in a shortage of approximately 2,250 kilowatts.
Quio said the power crisis had gravely affected essential services such as water, health, education, business, communication and tourism, causing socioeconomic distress to both households and local enterprises.
Consumers, she said, are continuously receiving billing statements despite irregular or no electricity supply, adding a financial burden during an already difficult time.
Quio is urging Prosielco to consider the following relief measures for all consumers: grant bill discounts or rebates for billing periods affected by the outages; provide extended payment deadlines or grace periods without penalties; defer disconnection during the declared state of calamity; and implement a fair and transparent adjustment policy for consumers’ electricity bills.
“We believe that in times of crisis, service providers must go beyond business-as-usual and exercise both compassion and accountability,” she said.
Assurance
Sipcor, in a statement, said it was targeting to fully restore the electricity supply to the island, an emerging tourist spot, “within the week.”
It said corrective maintenance for one of its units was completed on Tuesday, bringing a 7,550 kilowatt or 7.5 megawatt of power to the facility’s operating capacity.
It said another unit would undergo system fixes. A power generator set was also deployed to help address the supply shortage.
“With the increasing demand brought on by the growing economic activity and rising population in the province, the area is currently experiencing a power supply deficit resulting in a rotational power outage,” it said.
“We understand the inconvenience this may cause, and we assure our customers that our technical teams are working diligently to restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” the firm added.
In a separate statement, the Department of Energy (DOE) said it conducted a site inspection with other concerned agencies, where it confirmed consumer complaints on power interruptions.
“Based on the joint assessment, it was determined that a combination of technical, operational, and regulatory issues is preventing the full utilization of the Siquijor Island Power Corporation’s generating capacity,” it said.
According to the DOE, only 8.816 MW of Sipcor was contracted to the Prosielco out of its 11.58-MW installed capacity, leading to recurring outages. The current demand in the province, it noted, was 10.51 MW.
To address the issue, the DOE directed the electric cooperative of the province to tap additional power providers to boost its supply. —WITH A REPORT FROM LISBET K. ESMAEL
