President Duterte, Can You Keep the Lights on for the Filipino People?

I want to make an appeal to the incoming President Duterte to help IMPROVE electricity and reduce incidents of brown-out in the country especially here in the province of Quezon.  I really hope that the government can SUBSIDIZE Quezon Electric Cooperative (QueZelCo) if HE is SERIOUS to help the ordinary citizens. I cannot completely blame the cooperative for POOR service – it may be attributed to lack of funding. 

If you are living here especially in Lopez, Quezon – the people are SUFFERING because of frequent brown-outs (ranging from 8am – 5pm) as they say  most of the times as ‘maintenance schedule ‘ BUT it does not happen once a month sometimes twice a week PLUS hours of interruption like  from around 2am till 10am on that same week. Another eight more hours of interruption the next day, whew!

Imagine how hot the weather is and the school children wearing uniforms in dimmed classrooms and OFF electric fans?! You might pity yourself and the kids on that situation.  Consumers have nothing to complain about BECAUSE there is no choice – where to get electricity supply apart from the Coop?  I hope President Duterte or the Department of Energy (DOE) thru his COMMAND can PROVIDE funding –if not subsidy, a LOAN in a flexible terms to aid the cooperative.  It could be used to improve QueZelCo’s facilities and the transmission of energy to the end-users, us, the public.

I sometimes thought of requesting them to distribute power-interruption hours to the early hours at dawn (three hours from 1am to 3am might NOT hurt)– not so hot weather and can not largely affect the consumers, while sleeping. And sometimes an interruption that is like a blink of an eye happens too– power is off for just about three seconds and back again before you can turn off the lights, refrigerator, PC, TV if you’re watching  – great chances of damaging machines and home appliances and may become a cause of FIRE due to instant surge of electric current., correct me if I am wrong…

And if you are a businessman here, your computer shop, photo-developing station, bank etc. must have a GENERATOR so as not to be impaired tsk when being far from Lucena there is not much sources here.  Another concern for ordinary people and households, they could not afford generator and frequent expenses on fuel.

It is not just a local problem – it is indeed a NATIONAL concern. Power interruptions in the country has been very prevalent before even if El Niño has not passed yet.  I remember my former Japanese employer told me that in his country there is absolutely NO BROWN-OUT unless earthquakes or tsunami visits them. I can not believe that it is possible because of what we have here that power interruption is so frequent and annoying.

I hope THIS ANOTHER BIG DILEMMA that concerns millions and almost every Pinoy will be dealt with by the President.  We abound on water resources because we are surrounded by bodies of water, still we do not have a way of generating hydroelectricity. Geothermal energy sources are also evident in the country like what is in Dumaguete. Windmills are also a good source, if I am not mistaken we already have few BUT NOT that seriously indulged-in by the government. We are having HUGE problem on waste management while a particular plant somewhere in the country has turned biodegradable wastes into FUEL and lastly, we are in a good spot of sunlight but then we are STILL UNABLE to boost solar power use in the country.  I heard Zubiri has helped built a Solar field somewhere in the country why NOT have more of it?  What if combined energy from all of those sources can be utilized?!

Mr. President I hope you can put AN END to this long-time TIRING energy-shortage as well as its pricey rates – FOCUSING on development of RENEWABLE power resources may be among the cheaper solutions.

I hope someone close to the President can read this so that IT CAN BE ADDRESSED RIGHT AWAY – because it is surely a long process but it helps to be started sooner.

Your comments and suggestions as well as approval will be very much appreciated.  Speak-out and be heard…the power of the e-media can not be underestimated now and the incoming administration speaks of inclination in social media interaction to reach-out to every citizen of this country. The more positive comments this article will get, just shows that indeed everyone is in favor of IMPROVING the current condition of POWER Generation.