Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas admitted there is no quick fix to the continuing power interruptions and rotational brownouts affecting Ilonggos, but said the city government is working with power-sector stakeholders to find solutions.
Treñas said the manual load shedding being implemented by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is beyond the direct control of the city government.
“Ang manual load shedding nga ginapatuman sang NGCP indi direkta nga kontrolado sang Iloilo City Government,” she said in a statement.
Treñas said the city is nevertheless coordinating with power-sector players to better understand the problem and look for ways to improve the power situation.
The mayor recently discussed the issue with the Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) during a meeting of the Iloilo City Business Development Council. She said the company is taking steps to increase power-generation capacity in the Visayas.
The mayor also welcomed the expected entry of LNGPH, an integrated liquefied natural gas terminal and power facility, in Iloilo City.
“Importante ini kay nakita naton nga ang problema sa power supply indi lang problema sang Iloilo City. Isa ini ka mas daku nga concern nga naga-apekto sa bilog nga Visayas,” she said.
Treñas said residents and businesses should not expect the power problem to disappear overnight, but assured Ilonggos that the city government is actively working with the concerned agencies and companies.
“There is no instant or overnight solution to this problem. But we are not taking this sitting down,” she said.
“We will continue to communicate and coordinate with them so we can better understand the situation and take concrete steps to protect the interest of the city and the welfare of every Ilonggo.”IMT
