Banna, Ilocos Norte – In an effort to mitigate frequent power interruptions affecting various parts of the province, the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (INEC) has disclosed plans to conduct extensive road clearing operations in collaboration with local government units. The announcement follows a series of power outages that have disrupted daily activities and business operations across multiple towns.
According to Philippines News Agency, the most recent power interruption occurred at around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, November 1, impacting the entire town of Banna (with the exception of Barangay Barbarangay), Nueva Era, Marcos (excluding Barangays Imelda, Mabuti, Lydia, Pacifico, and Valdez), and select villages in Pinili and Badoc. Power was restored to the affected areas after an hour of disruption. INEC identified the cause of the outage as a leaning bamboo tree that came into contact with a three-phase primary line at Sitio Saranay in Barangay Caribquib, Banna.
This issue follows a power outage on October 30 that affected several election precincts in the city and parts of the neighboring town of Sarrat during the vote counting process, attributed to a bird electrocution incident. Over the past week, residents across 21 towns and two cities of Ilocos Norte have taken to social media to express their frustrations over the frequent power interruptions.
Cipriano Martinez, INEC's acting general manager, has pinpointed the absence of road clearing operations as the primary cause of these power disruptions. He conveyed the cooperative’s intention to launch a “one-time, big-time road clearing” initiative across all areas of the province within a month. This operation will be executed in coordination with local government units to ensure the availability of necessary heavy equipment and additional manpower.
Martinez also reached out to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), urging them to expedite upgrading works in Ilocos Norte to tackle the ongoing issue of power interruptions. He requested that any power outages related to corrective maintenance be limited to a maximum duration of six hours and that INEC be informed at least a month in advance of any scheduled maintenance activities. This advance notice would enable the electric cooperative to adequately inform its member-consumers and allow them to make the necessary preparations.