By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday declared that Siquijor’s power woes are now addressed with the inauguration of three new facilities that are designed to secure the island’s energy future.
During the ceremonial switch-on of the New Siquijor Diesel Power Plants at the Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative (PROSIELCO) in Larena town, Marcos affirmed the government’s commitment to restoring the power supply in the island.
According to the President, the three new power plants—4.4 MW in Larena, 6.6 MW in Lazi, and 6.8 MW in Siquijor—now provide 17.8 MW of installed capacity, more than double the province’s 9 MW peak demand.
The plants were built through the collaboration of National Electrification Administration (NEA), PROSIELCO, and the Cebu Electric Cooperative (CEBECO) I and III, and partner stakeholders.
“Malakas na ang loob ko na i-proclaim na buo na ang supply ng kuryente dito sa Siquijor,” he said.
“Itutuloy-tuloy na natin and we’ll see that magiging mas maganda na ang serbsiyo ng pag-provide ng kuryente,” he added.
The Chief Executive noted that the increase in supply has already eased brownouts across the province, with only minor system issues left to be addressed.
The restoration of power in Siquijor came after the President, in his fourth State of the Nation Address, ordered the Department of Energy (DOE), NEA, and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to address the recurring brownouts in the island province and ensure a reliable energy supply for its residents.
Due to years of unreliable service, the ERC revoked the authority of the Siquijor Island Power Corp. (SIPCOR) to operate, prompting the fast-tracking of the development of the new power plants to take over the power supply management in the island.
“We had to take over the operations of SIPCOR for the simple reason that wala tayong nakikitang improvement doon sa kanilang pag-provide ng supply ng kuryente kaya’t ganoon ang nangyari,” Marcos explained.
The President also thanked the linemen, workers, and volunteers for their efforts to restore power stability on the island.
-jpv
