Same old problems hound the local electric company, as power outage greeted the City of Puerto Princesa and the outlying mainland grid in 2021.
At least 17 areas experienced a total blackout after electricity was cut around 7:26 a.m. when a bamboo hooked on an electric post near the Puerto Princesa City Jail in Barangay Tiniguiban, triggering a “tripping of the machine”.
In Puerto Princesa, affected areas under the Iwahig Circuit were the barangays of Sta. Monica, Tiniguiban, Sicsican, Irawan, Iwahig, Montible, Sta. Lucia, Luzviminda, Mangingisda, and Napsan.
Villages from Malatgao in Narra town, encompassing Aborlan towns, up to Tagbarungis in southern Puerto Princesa under the B4 Sectionalizer were also affected by the major power outage.
The Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO), in a statement on Friday morning, said that the supply of electricity resumed around 9:19 a.m. for affected areas under the Iwahig Circuit, and at 9:23 a.m. under the reclosers in Sta. Monica and Solomon.
PALECO also added that it has already restored the power supply to other affected Reclosers including San Manuel, Piltel, Mendoza, Magarwak, Factor, Kalikasan; R3 in Malinao, Narra to Labog before Quezon town; R2 recloser from Brgy. Malinao to Malatgao, Narra town; Chariot recloser, R10 recloser in Roxas Poblacion; R11 recloser in Roxas Barrio; R6 recloser in southern towns of Ipilan, Brooke’s Point to Sofronio Española; R7 recloser to Pangobilian ABS from Ipilan, Brooke’s Point to Pangobilian.
“Naka-isolate pa ang linya ng Magbarkama recloser at kasalukuyan pang nag papatrol ang mga lineman sa lugar,” it added.
In June 2019, Puerto Princesa City mayor Lucilo Bayron filed a P1 million civil suit against the power cooperative for “continuous poor power performance and failure to provide quality service to the public”.
The city government has been receiving numerous complaints from city residents, especially the tourism and business sectors that were at the receiving end of the power problem.
The case is still pending at the local city court.
