Bong Go calls for urgent action on WV power outage
SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go strongly urged the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to collaborate on a lasting solution in response to the reported extensive power outage in Western Visayas.
Go expressed deep concern over the extensive power outages in Western Visayas, emphasizing the severe impact on daily life.
The senator emphasized the critical impact on healthcare, education, and businesses during power outages, while highlighting the government’s role in easing citizens’ hardships during these situations.
“Nakakalungkot at nakakadismaya ang malawakang kawalan ng kuryente sa buong Western Visayas. Hindi lang ang pang-araw-araw na kalagayan ng kabuhayan ng mga kababayan natin ang apektado, kundi lalo na ‘yung mga ordinaryo at mahihirap na mga Ilonggo na walang kapasidad bumili ng sariling generator, ang pinaka-apektado rito,” said Go.
“Also affected are our hospitals with all those critical medical equipment that potentially make the difference between life and death,” he added.
Nearly 300 public schools in Panay Island alone have reportedly suspended their face-to-face classes. Business establishments have suffered huge losses due to damaged goods and non-operational equipment. All of these adversely affect the whole region’s quality of life and productivity, cited Go.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Energy, Go said he finds these prolonged outages unacceptable. He urgently called on the DOE and the NGCP to collaborate and devise a lasting solution to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The local business community, notably the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, has raised concerns about the outage’s adverse effects on operations and has called for an investigation and infrastructure improvements.
The NGCP attributes the outage to multiple plant trippings and highlights the need for better energy resource management. The DOE welcomed the call for an investigation into the power outage that affected Panay Island.
