BORACAY – The Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco) urged power consumers, who were affected during the onslaught of typhoon “Ursula,” to be patient and understanding amid the power outage in the province.
Akelco general manager Alexis Regalado called on member-consumers in hard-hit rural communities to bear with the power outage.
“We will restore power in Aklan as quickly as possible. The crews are working safely to give back your electric services. While this restoration takes place, we appreciate the patience of the public affected by the power outage,” he said.
According to Akelco, the Task Force Kapatid, assigned to restore electricity in the province, has been working hard to repair downed poles and power lines in Aklan’s 17 towns and the municipalities of Pandan and Libertad in Antique and a portion of Capiz.
The areas have experienced widespread power outage after the typhoon hit the province on Dec. 25, leaving around 143,000 member-consumers without electricity.
Akelco sought the help of its sister electric cooperatives in Panay Island and Mindanao to make immediate clearing operations and restore power in around 380 villages of northern Antique and Aklan.
Regalado said linemen from Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental will also augment the Task Force Kapatid, aside from the personnel of Antique, Zamboanga del Norte and Iloilo.
The task force, he added, was committed to speed-up the power restoration and to assist Akelco in the rehabilitation of lines in typhoon-battered areas but power fixes may take days before electric services are restored.
“Marami pa tayong mga electric poles na hindi pa natin nabilang sa mga remote barangays and sitios. So far, aabot na sa P73 million ang damage ni Ursula,” Regalado said.
As of Dec. 2, power in around 27,000 households was already restored while about 850 electric posts out of around 17,000 were severely damaged based on the initial assessment.
The towns of Madalag, Buruanga, Malay, and Antique have remained isolated from the rest of Akelco’s franchise area.
Meanwhile, electricity is back in some areas of Aklan, including the towns of Kalibo, Altavas, Batan, New Washington, Banga, Libacao, Numancia, Lezo, Malinao, Tangalan, Nabas, and Ibajay after it received power from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines on Dec. 28.
The grid operator continues to conduct foot patrol and aerial inspections in all areas to determine the damages on transmission lines and other-related facilities in the region.(With a report from Akean Forum/PN)
