AS FINANCIAL losses mount for business owners due to the extended power interruption in Siargao Island, energy consumer organization ILAW has called on concerned parties to urgently address the situation for the sake of the consumers and the tourism industry.
A line fault in the submarine cable between Barangay Cagdianao in Claver and Barangay Doña Helen in Socorro has left Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands without electricity since Dec. 1.
Spearheaded by its national convenor Beng Garcia and youth convenor Francine Pradez, ILAW recently gathered 13 business owners in General Luna for a focus group discussion (FGD) to tackle and propose solutions to the power issues, which disrupted the way of life of consumers and impacted the tourism industry – a key pillar of the local economy and the main source of livelihood for residents.
“We call on all power stakeholders in the region to prioritize consumers first, dahil sila ang pinakaapektado dito. The situation on the ground is dire for our fellow countrymen in Siargao Island. We need to unite to fix the power crisis lalo’t higit na papalapit ang Pasko,” Garcia said.
Pradez, for her part, called on concerned government agencies to find a lasting solution to the power woes, not just in Siargao but also in other parts of the country.
“Siargao needs all our help, and bringing this issue to all concerned government agencies was our primary goal in conducting the FGD. This unfortunate incident is not new to Siargao and has been happening in various locations in our country. We need lasting solutions for perennial problems,” she said.
During the FGD, a business owner lamented losing revenues of up to P100,000 per day, while another claimed he had to temporarily close shop due to the massive power outage.
“Right now, we’re losing revenues up to P100,000 pesos due to the week-long power interruption. Kawawa ang negosyo dito na walang generators,” a business owner said.
Small businesses without their own power generators had to temporarily stop operations as tourists left their establishments to find other resorts with standby power.
“Lugi na ang negosyo dito sa isla kung wala kang generator. Nakakatanggap din kami ng maraming reklamo mula sa mga guests related sa brownout. Small businesses are closing,” another business owner lamented.
Even establishments with their own generators have to deal with high prices of fuel, which significantly eat into their revenues, especially since they need to run backup power continuously for 24 hours.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Surigao del Norte wanted to utilize the Provincial Government’s Quick Response Fund to extend aid—such as food, water, and fuel—to affected sectors.
However, the recommendation placing Siargao and the Bucas Grande Islands under a state of calamity was stalled due to a lack of quorum, as several board members, primarily from District 1, where Siargao belongs, were absent. Only Board Member Cathy Gopico was present from District 1 during the special session.
While affected sectors continue to suffer, the Siargao Electric Cooperative Inc. (SIARELCO), owned by Rep. Sergio Dagooc, announced that it has no clear timetable for restoring a stable power supply on the island.
