The Alliance of Concerned Consumers in Electricity and Social Services (ACCESS) led by its president Wennie Sancho, urged all stakeholders in the power industry, especially the electricity consumers to “please stop the blame game and work together,” to address the issues on power outages brought about by typhoon Tino.
In a press statement, ACCESS strongly suggested that there should be an “Emergency Power Restoration Summit” to be conducted by the Liga ng mga Barangays.
It also suggested that politicians should not “ride on” the issue but instead help the consumers by giving their support and presence in areas where power has not been restored. The Bacolod City Government, Negros Power, and the consumers should initiate the move immediately.
In the Philippines, Republic Act 11361 also known as the “Anti-Obstruction of Power Lines Act”, mandates that Local Government Units (LGUs) take measures to prevent obstruction including tree branches from interfering with power lines. Specifically, the law requires LGU’s to ensure that trees and other vegetations near power lines are trimmed or cut to maintain safe distance and to authorize Distribution Utilities(DU’s) to trim or cut trees that poses risk to power lines, as well as coordinate with DU’s to identify and address potential hazards.
It is unfortunate that most of our Barangay Councils had not fully implemented the provisions of RA 11361. Sancho, agrees with former Governor Rafael “Lito” Coscoluela, that this is one of the crucial issues to be assessed with the LGUs, including the barangays, on what is the proper policy to be taken with regards to trees vis-a-vis power lines and posts. DU’s and LGU’s should have effective protocols and clear responsibilities to help and avoid power disruptions due to felled trees and broken branches.
It’s time to put aside the blame and come together. The devastation is already done and pointing fingers won’t bring back the power. Let’s focus on rebuilding and supporting each other, the local government, Negros Power and the consumers, Sancho said.
“We can evaluate what went wrong later, but for now, let’s work together to restore what’s been lost. We’re all in this together, we can help prevent power outages and ensure a safe environment for communities,” he added.*
