National Grid taps Leyte power supply to help Cebu City, as Airlines fly in food and medicine

[ASEAN NOW News]

 

Cebu City residents are shown lining up to get water from the Metro Cebu Water District in this undated photo.

Regional Development Council-7 chair Kenneth Cobonpue on Tuesday (Dec. 21, 2021) said power woes in Cebu City after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette will soon be addressed as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines began supplying power from Leyte to reenergize the Banilad-Talamban corridor. (Photo courtesy of Cebu City PIO)

 

CEBU CITY – The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has tapped power supply from Leyte to energize the capital city four days after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette, the chair of the Regional Development Council (RDC) on Tuesday said.

 

Kenneth Cobonpue, RDC-Central Visayas chair, said the transmission company has begun "slowly supplying" power to Visayan Electric Company (VECO) through the transmission lines in northern Cebu.

 

"With this reactivated power supply now starting to come online on top of the alternative power sources tapped by VECO, more than 1,600 households and companies in Cebu have now been reenergized," Cobonpue told the Philippine News Agency in a Viber message.

 

Cobonpue cited the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) for sending reinforcement teams and equipment to augment the personnel and apparatus for VECO's reconnection effort in Metro Cebu, which was badly hit by the typhoon on Thursday last week.

 

To solve the power problem in Mactan Island, the Mactan Electric Company (MECO) has also been working hard to reactivate some power supply.

 

Water reactivation

 

Cobonpue also said the Metro Cebu Water District is targeting to reactivate 28,000 cubic meters of water supply for the Banilad-Talamban areas, as VECO energized the well fields in the vicinity.

 

Targeted to be completed by Wednesday, the reactivation of the water supply will cover the daily water consumption requirements of at least 30,000 households in the area.

 

The water district also purchased generator sets even as NGCP and VECO are working together to energize the lifeline zones, including water pumps and hospitals.

 

"In the meantime, MCWD has permitted Cebu City residents to get water from different MCWD hydrants across the city, while a number of local individuals and organizations have volunteered to provide water refilling stations to affected Cebu residents," Cobonpue added.

 

Airport dilemma

 

Cobonpue, a renowned furniture designer, also told the PNA that the Mactan Cebu International Airport is faced with the problem of lack of adequate power supply and intermittent internet connection.

 

He said that until the power supply and telecommunication connectivity services become stable, airline counters could not process automated check-in which would make the departure process slow and tedious.

 

"Regarding the resumption of international flights, this will now be postponed as there is also now the added challenge of the very limited rooms available for the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases)-mandated quarantine protocols of arriving international passengers," he said.

 

This dilemma was also a result of the severe damage brought by Typhoon Odette to the hotels in Cebu.

 

Meanwhile, Cobonpue, quoting a report from the Cebu Port Authority, said base port operations for domestic passenger and cargo vessels have begun operations Tuesday.

 

Some local shipping firms also offered free transport services in bringing from different areas in the country tons of relief goods and donations intended for Cebu.

 

Gas station woes

 

The Business Permit and Licensing Office of the Cebu City Hall on Tuesday began monitoring individuals and enterprises that sold commodities, including gasoline and diesel fuel, at prices higher than what is prevailing in the market.

 

Lawyer Jared Limquiaco, BPLO head, said they started reminding stores found overpricing, following the order of Mayor Michael Rama on Monday to issue show cause orders as a prelude to revocation of their permits.

 

Rama said in a presser he was displeased over the reports that many unscrupulous individuals took advantage of the situation and sold basic commodities such as gasoline, water, rice, and other consumable items at an extremely high price.

 

The mayor tapped the help of barangay officials in identifying establishments overpricing their items, stressing that the city government will "apply the full force of the law against greedy traders." 

 

Airline joins relief ops for Cebu, other ‘Odette’-hit areas

 

Workers load food packs, gasoline, and medicines onto a truck at the Cebu Provincial Capitol on Tuesday (Dec. 21, 2021). The truck is headed for Malabuyoc town in southern Cebu, a fifth-class municipality that remains inaccessible to four-wheeled vehicles from Alegria in the north because one lane of a bridge linking it to neighboring Ginatilan had collapsed when Typhoon Odette slammed the province last week. (Contributed photo)

 

Another airline has partnered with the government and various organizations to boost relief operations by transporting essential goods to provinces badly hit by Typhoon Odette last week.

 

AirAsia Philippines has already airlifted more than twenty tons of items since December 17.

 

“Although we are faced with a lot of challenges, especially our crew who were also affected by the typhoon, we continue to soldier on to ensure that we continue to service our guests the best feasible way during the peak season,” company spokesperson Steve Dailisan said in a statement.

 

Post-typhoon, the airline has re-strategized flight routes and communications with local government units and airports for the speedy restart of flight operations.

 

All its domestic flight routes fully resumed on Monday, apart from Puerto Princesa in Palawan, as on-ground communications continue to be a challenge in the province following the impact of the typhoon.

 

“Odette” made landfall in Roxas town on Friday, one of nine by the strongest weather disturbance to hit the country this year.

 

From December 16 to 19, a total of 198 of the airline’s domestic flights were canceled or postponed, affecting an estimated 30,000 passengers.

 

AirAsia also mounted two recovery flights from Manila to Cebu on Sunday, catering to 1,000 passengers.

 

Guests affected by flight delays and cancellations from Manila to Puerto Princesa City may also avail of a recovery flight to the province on Thursday, December 23, the airline announced.

 

Help desks are available in local airports such as those in Mactan in Cebu, Puerto Princesa, and Bohol province. (PNA)

 

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