152 gensets deployed to ‘Yolanda’-hit areas

DOE Secretary Jericho Petilla: Gensets for ‘Yolanda’ areas. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

MANILA, Philippines—In light of the power shortage in areas stricken by Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” the Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday said that it has already deployed 152 small power generator sets to help improve the situation.

In a statement, DOE said that 60 gensets have been delivered to Leyte; 45 to Samar provinces; 30 to Roxas City Capiz; 10 in Iloilo; and five to Coron, Palawan province.

A total of 18 gensets are ready for distribution. There are eight units earmarked for Bantayan island, four for Camotes island in Cebu province, and an additional five units for Coron, Palawan.

DOE will be providing one genset to the Department of Trade and Industry for their office operations in Tacloban, Leyte.

Earlier, DOE said it also provided two gensets to the Department of Health for continued provision of electricity in their medical operations and facilities amid the devastated areas.

Each genset has a capacity of 2 to 3 kilovolt amperes, which the DOE said is enough to power government centers and other important establishments.

Typhoon-struck areas in the Visayas face a combined P2 billion bill for the rehabilitation of power transmission and distribution assets, according to DOE Secretary Jericho Petilla.

DOE experienced difficulty sending the gensets to areas ravaged by the typhoon due to congestion at ports amid the rush of donors wanting to send relief goods to survivors. This was recently resolved, Petilla said, as gensets were later given equal priority with relief goods following the first wave of distribution of care packages at evacuation centers in typhoon-hit areas.

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