DOE steps into Siquijor power supply woes

Local

JUST days after the province of Siquijor was placed under a state of calamity due to persistent blackouts, the Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed the urgent need for coordinated and sustained action to resolve the island’s worsening power crisis.

The agency said it had completed a site inspection and coordination meeting on May 6 to 7. The visit aimed to validate widespread consumer complaints and assess the province’s ongoing power supply issues.

The DOE confirmed that technical, operational, and regulatory problems continue to hamper the delivery of reliable electricity in Siquijor.

The department noted that the Siquijor Island Power Corporation (Sipcor) has an installed capacity of 11.580 megawatts (MW).

However, only 8.816 MW is currently contracted to the Provincial Electric Cooperative of Siquijor (Prosielco).

Meanwhile, the island’s power demand has already reached 10.51 MW.

This supply gap has led to daily brownouts in many parts of the province, with some lasting up to six hours.

State of calamity

Siquijor Gov. Jake Vincent Villa announced the declaration of a state of calamity on June 5. The move followed the approval of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan during its regular session on June 3.

In a dramatic moment during Villa’s press conference, the electricity went out mid-sentence, underscoring the severity of the power crisis.

“This island of ours is not connected to the grid. We are off-grid, so we are completely dependent on our generators,” Villa said, noting that all six generators operated by Sipcor are currently under repair.

The governor warned that the outages have paralyzed essential services, including water distribution, health care, education, and communications, and are threatening to derail Siquijor’s tourism-driven economy.

To address the supply shortfall, the DOE has recommended that Prosielco, under Nea’s guidance, update its Power Supply Procurement Plan and Distribution Development Plan to expedite the procurement of additional power.

As an immediate remedy, Nea has arranged for a 2-MW modular generator from Palawan to be deployed to Siquijor by mid-June.

Villa earlier disclosed plans to rent two more 2-MW generator sets from Cebu using the province’s P14 million calamity fund, in addition to the one being sent from Palawan.

In a letter dated May 28, Prosielco expressed “grave frustration” with SIPCOR’s performance, accusing the company of “brazen disregard” for the welfare of Siquijodnons.

Despite the mounting challenges, the Department of Energy said it will continue to work closely with Prosielco, Sipcor, Nea, ERC, NPC, TransCo, and local government officials to implement both short- and long-term solutions.

“The DOE remains committed to ensuring a stable, reliable, and sufficient power supply for the residents of Siquijor,” it said.

Worsening situation

According to Villa, some areas on the island were receiving electricity for only two to three hours a day, while the rest experienced daily outages of up to six hours.

He said the six generators operated by Sipcor, the island’s sole power provider under Prime Asia Venture Inc., had all broken down and were under overhauling.

“Kung duha or tulo ka generator dili mo-function, dili gyud siya mogana,” he said, stressing the vulnerability of Siquijor’s isolated, off-grid energy setup.

Villa said the crisis has already caused job losses among online workers and affected public services, while also prompting threats and blame directed at him through anonymous text messages.

He emphasized that the provincial hospital remains operational thanks to its solar power system and backup generator, and added that the provincial government is studying possible legal action against Sipcor.(MyTVCebu)