Island Sitio in Bohol finally gets electricity
Tres Reyes Island. INQUIRER PHOTO
TAGBILARAN CITY—After living without electricity all their life, the residents of Tres Reyes Island, a sitio of Barangay Fatima in Ubay town, Bohol, now enjoy round-the-clock power following the completion of a submarine cable electrification project connecting the island to the mainland power grid, that was funded by the Department of Energy (DOE).
The island, home to around 117 families, or roughly 1,200 residents, has long awaited this development.
“For years, I used a paraffin tin lamp to light our home,” said Analyn Mandin, 48, who lives most of her life on the island and experienced getting electricity at her home for the first time on Thursday.
“Now, at last, I no longer live in darkness. God is truly good,” she said in Cebuano.
Before the power connection, residents of Tres Reyes Island relied on gasoline-powered generators costing around P200 per night per household for just four hours of electricity, while others used gas lamps.
Provincial officials and most of the residents could not say when people started residing on the island. But some villagers now in their 70s said they have been living on the island since birth.
The project, which cost P30.3 million, was funded under the DOE’s 2024 Subsidy Fund Grant Program. It includes P25.9 million for the 1.3-kilometer submarine power cable, P3.2 million for distribution lines, and P1 million for household wiring.
The Bohol II Electric Cooperative (Boheco II), whose franchise area covers 21 towns, including Ubay of the province’s 47 municipalities, implemented the project as part of its mission to energize underserved communities.
Protect underwater cable
The ceremonial switch-on that took place on Thursday was led by spouses Bohol Rep. Vanessa Aumentado and Gov. Aris Aumentado, along with officials from Boheco II, local leaders, and community members.
In her message, Representative Aumentado urged residents to protect the submarine power line from illegal fishing activities.
“Please, no illegal fishing, no dynamite fishing,” she said, stressing that damage to the underwater cable could take months and significant resources to repair.
Boheco II general manager Eugenio Tan echoed the warning, saying that installing and maintaining a submarine cable is challenging, and any damage from blast fishing would be costly and time-consuming to fix.
Governor Aumentado, who supported the project since his time in Congress in 2013, described the island’s electrification as “a dream come true” and said it would bring economic and livelihood opportunities to the community.
To further support the community, the provincial government also provided a P399,926 livelihood assistance grant to the Tres Reyes Fatima Fisherfolks Association.
He also announced that Banacon Island in Bien Unido town would be the next recipient of a similar electrification project.
