With power supply restored to 91 percent of the 315 barangays in Catanduanes as of Dec. 7, 2024, the teams from Eastern Visayas electric cooperatives left for home last Sunday, with the rest of the Task Force Kapatid assisting in the rehabilitation of the island grid’s distribution lines also departing this week.
Members of the 25 teams comprising the task force sent by the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (PhilRECA) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) were treated to a beach outing by the management of the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative, Inc. (FICELCO) last Dec. 7, 2024 as a gesture of gratitude for their invaluable assistance in the speedy restoration of consumer connections in areas affected by super typhoon “Pepito last” Nov. 16.
General Manager Engr. Francis A. Gianan confirmed to the Tribune that teams from the the Federation of Rural Electric Cooperatives of Region VIII (FRECOR-8) are the Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative (DORELCO) based in Tolosa, Leyte; Leyte Electric Cooperative II (LEYECO II), LEYECO III, LEYECO IV, and LEYECO V; Biliran Electric Cooperative (BILECO); and Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (SOLECO) returned home on Sunday.
Seven (7) teams from the Bicol mainland (CANORECO, CASURERO I, CASURECO II, CASURECO IV, SORECO I, SORECO II, MASELCO and ALECO), four from Samar provinces (ESAMELCO, NORSAMELCO, SAMELCO I and SAMELCO II) and 10 others from the Association of Southern Tagalog Electric Cooperatives (QUEZELCO I, QUEZELCO II, FLECO, BATELEC I, BATELEC II, and ORMECO) are scheduled to end their stints in the rehab work this week.
The task force brought with them 18 boom trucks, three trucks with manlift capability and 20 other service vehicles.
As of last Saturday morning, only 27 barangays remained powerless: one in Virac, three each in Bagamanoc and Panganiban, and 10 each in Caramoran and Pandan.
FICELCO line personnel and the TF Kapatid teams have also restored consumer connections to 50,032 consumers, representing 93.50 percent of total connections.
The total, however, does not include the 7,146 damaged consumer connections that cannot be re-energized: Bagamanoc, 545; Baras, 364; Bato, 430; Caramoran, 1,735; Gigmoto, 431; Pandan, 1,174; Panganiban, 310; San Andres, 569; San Miguel, 201; Viga, 864; and Virac, 523.
The towns with power restored to 100 percent of their barangays are Baras, Bato, Gigmoto, San Andres, San Miguel, and Viga.
GM Gianan said 100 percent restoration could be possible by Dec. 14, or about a week before the initial Dec. 20 target date.
During his visit to the cooperative last Dec. 2, NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda turned over to GM Gianan a P46 million check as calamity assistance for the cooperative.
He also announced an additional gift of P5,000 for each FICELCO employee in addition to the P3,000 calamity aid, with each member of the TF Kapatid contingents set to receive similar assistance from the Department of Energy and NEA.
PhilRECA Executive Director and General Manager Atty. Janeene Depay-Colingan turned over P636,000 to the cooperative, with each employee to get P2,000 each.
She announced that each employee of the 121 cooperatives belonging to PhilRECA would also get P8,000 each next year as assistance.