Power In Quake-hit Visayas To Be Restored ASAP - DOE

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We will bring back power as fast and as safely as is humanly possible to areas in the Visayas affected by a strong quake that rocked the region.

This was the consensus reached by the energy family under the Department of Energy (DOE), as well as their private sector partners, during an emergency meeting called by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi at the DOE headquarters today.

Cusi assured the public that the DOE and all of its attached instrumentalities and commercial partners are on top of the situation. "We are all working round the clock and all hands are on deck," said Cusi.

According to the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) and Green Core Geothermal, they are providing generator sets in coordination with the local officials of Municipality of Kananga and Ormoc City to critical facilities like municipal halls, hospitals and water districts.

EDC and Green Core said, impact assessment measures are being undertaken at their geothermal power plants.

Based on the technical assessment of the companies, the marshalling stations or the central switching station of Leyte power plants will be restored within 3-5 days to enable importation of power supply from Cebu to the provinces of Leyte, Samar and Bohol.

For transmission, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is undergoing further assessment of their transmission facilities in determining the specific timeline on the restoration of the damaged facilities.

As of 2:30 p.m., the 138kilovolt (kV) Ormoc-Tongonan T/L near the affected Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant with a power supply capacity of about 35 megawatts (MW) is ready to be energized.

On the distribution side, electric cooperatives (ECs) in Samar and Leyte provinces have no power but most of their facilities sustained no damage. Currently, the ECs are awaiting the powering up of the transmission facilities.

The entire province of Bohol remains without power.

To augment the power supply in the affected provinces, the government, through the DOE, is working with alternative power suppliers, such as Trans Asia and Salcon Power to deploy Power Barges 101, 102, and 103 and the unutilized 16 MW diesel-fired power plants.

To fast track the restoration further, the National Electrification Administration prepared the mechanism for a “quick response fund” to be allocated to ECs with damaged facilities.

The DOE coordinated with the concerned agencies to determine the timelines and other significant details in the deployment of the power barges and dispatching of the diesel power plant.

To supervise these complex yet integrated tasks, Sec. Cusi created a Project Management Team for the earthquake affected areas.

"We are on top of the situation and we will deliver the much-needed energy services immediately," Cusi concluded.

The DOE Central Office and Visayas Field Office (VFO) are open to accommodate inquiries and support from the public through the hotline number ‎‎479-2900 loc. 329 for consumer concerns and ‎‎(032) 253-7222; ‎‎253-2150 for the VFO concerns.

Explore International Flights for as Low as USD 600 with Ethiopian Airlines’ Exciting Airfare Deals

Wazzup Pilipinas!

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Davao Aguilas FC Hosted Kaya FC Makati

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Davao Aguilas Football Club (DAFC), sponsored by San Miguel Corporation, went up against Kaya FC Makati on Sunday, July 9, 4 p.m., at Davao del Norte Sports Complex.

It was the second time that these two teams went against each other for the Philippines Football League (PFL), with the first match taking place at University of Makati (UMak).

Davao Aguilas FC has earned a reputation for setting the trend in Philippines Football League (PFL) for hosting the biggest crowds. Its past 4 matches in its home stadium have gathered at least 16,000 people.

The club has also been getting involved in grassroots programs in Davao. It recently organized a football clinic for 200 kids, held at Tionko Football Field in Davao City. There are also other football clinics lined up for Davao and the Mindanao region.

Coach Gary Phillips in an interview, stressed the importance of setting-up a training camp in Davao; to help further develop football interest and be able to tap more local football talents as well. The club currently has players from Davao and other parts of Mindanao.

In the meantime, five members of Davao Aguilas FC (DAFC) have been called up for the Philippines Under-22 squad list for the Japan training camp, which was arranged by the Philippine Football Federation, along with Japan Football Association. The camp is a preparation for the AFC Under-23 Championship Qualifiers and the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. These players are Junnell Mark Bautista, Jaime Vicenzo Cheng, Rey Franco Miguel De La Torre, Van Rey Diaz and Richard Talaroc, Jr.