‘Dark Christmas’ for some Negrenses

By Adrian P. Nemes III

IT MIGHT be a “dark Christmas” for many residents in Negros Occidental as many areas in the province will still have no power supply until next week following the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.

Jose Taniongon, officer-in-charge of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), said they were able to restore power to about 70 percent of their service areas as of Sunday, December 19.

Taniongon said areas that are currently experiencing blackouts have toppled posts and destroyed power lines.

Asked when they will complete the restoration of electricity, he said, hopefully it will not take two weeks, adding that repairs are still ongoing.

Taniongon added that they are yet to assess the total amount of damage caused by the catastrophe to their facilities.

Ceneco is the largest electric cooperative in Negros Occidental supplying power to the towns of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto as well as the cities of Silay, Talisay, Bago and Bacolod.

In northern part of the province, about 80 percent of the service areas of Northern Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noneco) already have electricity.

Noneco general manager Danny Pondevilla said they continue to fix their damaged poles and electric lines to ensure that their service areas from Victorias City to San Carlos City that are still experiencing power outages will be energized soon.

Pondevilla estimated the damage on their 69KV and primary lines at P10 million.

For its part, the Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco), which supplies electricity from Valladolid to Hinoba-an towns, said they have started the repair, clearing and restoration of their damaged distribution lines.

Noceco’s service areas were hardly hit by the typhoon.

As of Saturday, December 18, portions of the towns of Valladolid, Pontevedra and San Enrique already have electricity, Noceco general manager Jonas Discaya said.

Noceco earlier projected that the total restoration of the electricity will take at least four months.

Meanwhile, since most areas in Bacolod City had no power, Globe Telecom set up Libreng Tawag, Libreng Charging Stations beside 7th Day Adventist Church in Barangay Tangub and before the Santa Fe resort in Barangay Estefania.

Donation channels through the new GlobeOne app and GCash app are open for customers who may want to support relief operations.

Partner organizations include Ayala Foundation Incorporated, GMA Kapuso Foundation and Rise Against Hunger Philippines.

As part Globe’s support for communities affected by Typhoon Odette, the company and its partner organizations will conduct relief efforts to at least 10,000 families affected by the typhoon.