TAGUIG CITY - Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi today (4 November) assured the public that the entire energy family is on “high alert” status and working together to restore power in the areas ravaged by Super Typhoon Rolly in Bicol (Region V).
Secretary Cusi made the statement in a media briefing this morning via Zoom conferencing, which was also aired live on the Department of Energy (DOE) Facebook page.
“I just want to tell you that the DOE is on full alert. Not just the DOE but the entire energy family is on really high alert,” he stressed, adding that even the resources of the different electric cooperatives from the Visayas and other industry players, through the National Electrification Administration's (NEA)Task Force Kapatid, are on its way to Bicol, especially to Catanduanes, the hardest-hit area by the super typhoon.
Secretary Cusi also said he wants power restored in these areas at the soonest possible time as the situation is further complicated by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals and other government vital installations need to function properly to serve the public, he added.
“Hindi natin pwedeng patagalin yan dahil Nobyembre na at malapit na ang Pasko, and kailangan talaga power is there. Not just because of Christmas, but because we are in a pandemic. Kailangan na kailangan ng power in our hospitals, and in our vital government installations,” Secretary Cusi pointed out.
“So talagang nasa puso naming iyan, nasa isipan namin iyan na hindi namin hihintayin ang Pasko at kailangan magkaroon na ng kuryente,” he said.
Per the latest report from Meralco, Secretary Cusi said power has been restored 100% in all its serviced areas in Cavite, Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, Batangas, Bulacan, and Metro Manila. He was also informed that Meralco, along with other distribution companies like Aboitiz, are now ready to send teams to the Bicol region.
Situation Reports, he added, are coming in periodically, but expressed concern that agencies are having difficulties in submitting a comprehensive assessment due to the limited accessibility of the affected areas.
So far, the NEA, for its part, has initially estimated the cost of Super Typhoon Rolly's damage to power infrastructure at PhP 33.5 million with 2.09M households affected. The DOE is still waiting for updated status reports from the other members of the energy family like the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the National Transmission Corporation (Transco).
Aside from Secretary Cusi, those who joined him in this morning’s media conference were Undersecretary and DOE Spokesman Felix William B. Fuentebella, Undersecretary Alexander S. Lopez, Assistant Secretaries Leonido J. Pulido III, Redentor E. Delola, and key DOE bureau directors as well as NEA Deputy Administrator for Technical Services Artis Nikki Tortola.
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