The National Electrification Administration (NEA) and electric cooperatives (ECs) have mobilized a task force to help restore power in the provinces of Isabela and Quirino in the wake of Typhoon Rosita (international name Yutu).
On Tuesday (November 6), 12 ECs in Central Luzon sent about 85 line workers, 12 boom trucks loaded with equipment, and eight utility vehicles to help with the ongoing power restoration efforts in the said provinces.
They are part of the Power Restoration Rapid Deployment (PRRD) Task Force Rosita. The crews assembled at the Nueva Ecija II Electric Cooperative, Inc. – Area I headquarters in Talavera, Nueva Ecija.
After the safety briefing, they headed northeast to join other power line restoration workers who are already assisting the Isabela I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISELCO1) and Quirino Electric Cooperative (QUIRELCO).
“We are cognizant of the contribution of these line workers.”
Reynaldo Villanueva, president of the Central Luzon Electric Cooperatives Association (CLECA), said the crews will be staying in Isabela and Quirino for at least two weeks.
He noted that some of these line workers are coming in fresh from serving task force duties in Cagayan, which was battered by Typhoon “Ompong” only last September.
“Ang mga skilled line workers natin talagang batikan sapag-restore ng power at pag akyat ng mga poste, kayatalagang sanay na sila. Napakarami na naming pinuntahan na mga kooperatiba na nabagyo for the past 10 years,” Villanueva said.
Typhoon “Rosita” made landfall in Dinapigue, Isabela on October 30. The storm came more than a month after Typhoon “Ompong” left a path of destruction in 19 provinces in Luzon, including Isabela and Quirino.
As of Tuesday, the NEA Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (DRRMD) reported an estimated 108,012 households in eight provinces in Luzon covered by nine ECs remain without electricity due to Typhoon “Rosita.”
Power has been fully restored to 92.35 percent or 1,304,173 of the 1,412,185 households affected by power outages during the onslaught of the typhoon. Initial damage to EC facilities is estimated at P37.619 million.
Meanwhile NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong commended CLECA for always answering the call for help of fellow ECs after a calamity, citing that the organization also sent crews to help with restoration efforts in Cagayan.
“This is the second time in two months that these line heroes are being deployed to alleviate the dark plight of our EC member-consumer-owners in the North,” he said.
“We are cognizant of the contribution of these line workers in keeping the affected provinces afloat as they recover from the devastation of natural calamities like Typhoon Rosita,” the NEA chief added.
Aside from CLECA, the EC organizations that also provide assistance to areas affected by the most recent storm include Region I Electric Cooperatives Association (RECA I), Cordillera Electric Cooperatives Association (CORECA), and Northeast Luzon Electric Cooperatives Association (NELECA).
