MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) chairperson Leo Tereso Magno pledged to assist Mayor Al David Uy in addressing the power woes of Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS).
During the MinDA Forum (MDF) press briefing on July 24, Magno revealed that he recently communicated with the Department of Energy (DOE) during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address.
In that meeting, he was told by the DOE that Samal Island “has enough power supply.”
Last Friday, Magno also said he talked to Mayor Uy in a phone call who told him a different story.
“What is obvious right now is that there are two conflicting statements. One statement from the DOE and the other from the LGU Mayor of Samal,” Magno said.
He said he may not be an expert on the issue but noted that it’s a problem that needs to be resolved.
“I may not be an expert with energy but one thing I’m aware of is there are two aspects in energy, one is the supply, the second one is the interconnectivity and transmission. Maaaring meron kang 100 megawatts diyan pero wala ka namang wire para ihatid dito sa lugar na ito paano mo ita-transmit ‘yung kuryente. I honestly do not want to discuss it as simplistic as that but I must admit I’m not an expert in the field of electrification, pero dapat nating tanggapin na may problema,” Magno said.
He also said he would further tackle the problem with the Samal LGU mayor as they have agreed to meet after the MDF.
“We vowed to help the LGU, so we will do it and discuss the matter with them,” he added.
Magno stressed that they will also relay any position papers that might be brought to the national government and Malacañang if needed.
In a media interview on July 8, DOE Undersecretary Rowena Guevara noted that Samal Island has a sufficient energy supply.
However, last month, Samal Mayor Uy expressed its sentiments as the island continues to experience a persistent power crisis, causing a great loss to the island’s economy.
File Photo: Bing Gonzales
