Internally displaced families whom the government plans to relocate in temporary shelters as soon as crisis subsides in Marawi City may expect immediate electricity service, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) announced.
NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong said electrification workers from the Task Force Duterte Lanao Sur Power already set up a 1.8-kilometer electricity line in the conflict-stricken town.
He was referring to the 28 primary poles (40-feet) and 19 secondary poles (30-feet) set up by the technical staff of Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LASURECO) in Sagonsongan, Marawi City, equipped with 50 kVA (kilovolt-amp) and 25 kVA transformers at five units each.
The NEA is prepared to energize these facilities once Task Force Bangon Marawi finalizes the establishment of a proposed ‘Tent City’ for the thousands of residents dislodged by the ongoing armed conflict in the province.
“Anytime, basta nandoon na ‘yung tent tapos ‘yung house wiring will be installed, anytime pwede nang i-switch on. (Once the tent city [is built] and the house wirings are installed, we can switch on [the facilities] anytime),” Masongsong said.
At this time, Task Force Bangon Marawi has initially identified an 11-hectare property where temporary shelters could be constructed. The exact location of which, however, is yet to be disclosed.
Lawyer Goldelio Rivera, the NEA Deputy Administrator for Electric Cooperative Management Services, said there are also suggestions to convert some portions of the vast Mindanao State University (MSU) complex into a possible relocation site besides the ‘Tent City.’
“There was a recommendation that temporary shelters will also be situated in the compound of MSU but there are legal problems that have to be contended with (first), for example, the ownership of those areas,” Rivera said.
There is roughly between 200,000 to 500,000 individuals displaced not only in the capital of Lanao del Sur but also in its neighboring cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, according to Rivera, who represented the NEA during a recent meeting of Task Force Bangon Marawi.