Energy chief vows to restore power in Pablo-hit areas
MANILA, Philippines - After a public scolding from President Aquino, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla has promised to restore power in areas hit by Typhoon Pablo in Mindanao in 45 days.
In a press briefing yesterday, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Petilla gave the assurance during a meeting with the President in Tacloban City on Tuesday.
“The DOE (Department of Energy) is clearly on point on this and Secretary Petilla has assured the full restoration of electricity in all Pablo-affected areas within 45 days. He will be submitting a plan – a memo to the President containing the details of his action plan. So no more passing, no more anything else, DOE is on point,” she said.
Valte said the government is aware of the need to restore electricity and other services in areas struck by disasters, which explains “that kind of reaction from the President.”
“Steps are being undertaken and he wants to see that those steps are actually fulfilled,” she said.
She said the President was frustrated that officials were trying to pass the buck and could not tell him exactly what the situation was.
In Cateel, Davao Oriental on Monday, Aquinosaid he was surprised to learn that electricity has yet to be restored in 57 percent of Pablo-hit barangays.
He said he did not like the runaround he got from the DOE, Department of Budget and Management and the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
In Cebu City on Tuesday, he told reporters after leading the celebration of the 28th anniversary of the EDSA People PowerRevolution that his officials must deliver or resign.
“I made the agencies feel I am not happy with them. By the next time I follow up with them, there needs to be electricity in most areas or they’ll need to submit their resignations. Those are just two things. I’m easy to talk to. We all have work, so do your work or sorry,” the President added.
Trust and confidence
Despite the public rebuke, Valte said Petilla still enjoys the trust and confidence of the President.
“Yes, he does,” she said, but noted that there was no reason to doubt that Aquino could make heads roll in the Cabinet.
“You go by the word of the President. I don’t think anyone doubts the seriousness of the President when he made that statement,” Valte said, referring to Aquino’s call on his officials to deliver or resign.
But she said the DOE should also be given time to deliver on its promise.
“They’ve already given the President a timetable. At least, DOE has committed to presenting the action plan to the President and has given a concrete timetable by which they will accomplish their job… I need to clarify the start of the 45-day period... when the time starts ticking. I don’t want to jeopardize his job,” she said.
Earlier, the President also defended the government’s response to calamities, saying officials are also doing the best they could.
“We may not have been perfect and I’ll admit that. But to say we didn’t exercise maximum effort, that’s not fair,” he said.
Samar
The latest assessment of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that power supply has been restored in many parts of Samar and Northern Samar.
Restoration work in Eastern Samar, where transmission lines were also heavily damaged, is ongoing.
The NDRRMC earlier reported that 1,959 transmission lines have been damaged by Yolanda in Visayas, including the backbone transmission lines, steel poles and converter station of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
The cost of restoring power in Yolanda-hit areas was estimated to reach P6.5 billion, excluding expenses for the deployment of generator sets.
Coconut farmers
The Kapisanan ng Magsasaka, Mangingisda at Manggagawa ng Pilipinas i
n a letter to Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes said coconut farmers in Eastern Visayas are still waiting for the delivery of tractors to clear their farms of fallen trees and debris caused by Yolanda.
The group said Delos Reyes put on hold the delivery of 127 tractors worth P274.6 million after questions were raised on the conduct of public bidding.
“Farmers face years of lost income in the race against time to clear the land of fallen coconut trees before they rot in three months’ time,” the group said.
“We urge Secretary Delos Reyes to look into this, as coconut farmers may end up with substandard equipment that is not fit for the job of clearing and heavy lifting,” it added.
– With Ricky Bautista, Rhodina Villanueva
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