Binay: ‘Persistent outages’ in power may become PH’s ‘nightmare’
Power outage (File photo from AP /Lee Ji-eun, Yonhap)
MANILA, Philippines— The recurring power interruptions — if not solved — will end up as Philippines’ “nightmare,” Senator Nancy Binay warned Friday.
“Hindi na ito basta wake-up call. Magiging bangungot na ito ‘pag ‘di pa rin natin naayos ang supply ng koryente natin,” Binay said in a statement.
(This is not just a wake-up call anymore. It will turn into a nightmare if we still don’t fix our electricity supply.)
She was reacting to the unscheduled power outages in Western Visayas on Tuesday that plunged the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros into darkness.
She said the blackout in the region “only validates that the country is clearly behind schedule in developing energy solutions.”
Article continues after this advertisement“Yung nangyaring blackout sa Western Visayas is a big dent to our country’s development, and can be clearly taken as a sharp reminder na kailangan nating seryosong maghanap ng mga long-term solution para matugunan ang problema sa kuryente,” Binay said.
Article continues after this advertisement(The blackout in Western Visayas is a big dent to our country’s development and can be clearly taken as a sharp reminder that we need to seriously seek long-term solutions to address the electricity problem.”
The senator lamented how the power outage crippled almost the entire region as it forced establishments without backup power to close shop.
The “persistent outages” are also hurting efforts to promote the Philippines as a “frills-free holiday destination,” she said.
“So, how do you promote tourism ‘pag may mga ganitong unreliable power supply sa atin?” asked Binay, who heads Senate committee on tourism.
“The sad part, most of the inconveniences are usually experienced at small resorts that have not invested in any alternative power source,” she said.
“Even a 30-minute power outage is already a nightmare for business. What more if it would take days?” she further asked.
Binay then called on Department of Tourism (DOT) to come up with a “whole-of-industry approach” to arrest future prolonged blackouts in tourism destinations.
She said DOT and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority can help in providing establishments power outage business continuity plans.
The senator noted most of businesses lacked plans to deal with energy and communications failures.
Some of her colleagues are eyeing a Senate probe into the power outage problem in the country.
