DOE assures Duterte a brownout-free Election Day

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (left) discusses matters with (from second left) Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on the sidelines of the 37th Cabinet Meeting at the Malacañan Palace on May 6, 2019. Among the matters discussed during the Cabinet meeting were preparations for next week’s elections. REY BANIQUET / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Exactly a week before the May 13 midterm elections, the Department of Energy (DOE) assured President Rodrigo Duterte that there would be no power outages during the polling.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the DOE made the assurance during the 37th Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Monday night.

“The Department of Energy affirmed that we have a sufficient supply of power in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” Panelo said in a statement.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Luzon power grid under red alert for consecutive days in recent weeks, which meant that demand might exceed available generating capacity.

Some parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, have suffered power interruptions.

The DOE earlier asked for a longer poll holiday, saying there might be a need to extend the declaration of holiday to May 14 to ensure that there would be no power interruptions during the tallying of votes

Panelo has yet to issue a statement if this was tackled during the Cabinet meeting and if the President was amenable to a longer elections holiday.

All set

During the Cabinet meeting, Panelo said the military and police assured the President that they were ready to secure the elections.

“The Department of Interior and Local Government, along with the Department of National Defense assured that the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are ready to secure the 2019 elections,” he said.

“Security forces are already deployed especially in election hot spots to prevent violence,” he added.

The Department of Education, he said, informed the President that the teachers who would serve on Election Day would receive honoraria and travel allowance. /cbb