The chairman of the House Committee on Energy yesterday called on the Department of Energy and industry players to guarantee sufficient power supply on Election Day and until the last ballot has been counted and transmitted for a complete poll result.
In a statement, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco said ensuring continuous electrical service during the election period will erase doubts on the credibility of the poll results.
While Velasco appeared to be confident of his re-election bid, he said both the electorate and the candidates, including his opponent in the lone congressional district of Marinduque, require a fair, clean, and honest election that can be assured by the DoE and all players in the energy sector.
The House energy panel chairman issued the appeal in the wake of numerous power outages affecting most parts of Metro Manila and some areas in Luzon and the apparent lack of assurance from the sector for ample power supply during the critical period of the electoral exercise.
“If there will be power interruptions, I worry that it would compromise the results and credibility of the election,” said Velasco, who has busied himself barnstorming the country to campaign for the 13 senatorial candidates supported by the Hugpong ng Pagbabago headed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
Velasco stated: “Our energy officials and industry players must pull all strings to allay fears and meet the public’s expectations.”
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines had issued “red alert” warnings or severe power deficiency in the Luzon grid as a result of the simultaneous breakdown of five power plants.
The head of the NGCP-Luzon System Operations has revealed that that power outages could linger until June because of thin power reserves. (Ben Rosario)
