Will Zamboanga City’s Power Supply Last?

Life isn’t normal without electricity.  Whether for home, school, hospital, commercial, or industrial purposes, electricity is their common lifeblood. Cut it and there will be widespread darkness. Remove it and you will lose refrigeration to keep our food fresh and our drinks cool. Deprive vital establishments like medical centers and they wouldn’t be able to give the life-giving care our ailing citizens need.

The presence of electricity in a community signifies progress. Ironically, power outages have become common in Zamboanga City. The absence of electricity causes disruption in our daily activities and affects the city’s economy.  Without electric lights, it would be difficult for us to read anything, especially at night. While power generators augment for the lack of electricity, especially in business and tourist establishments, they can only do so much. By the way, not everyone can afford a power generator.

With the intense summer heat scorching our beloved hometown, how can you expect us to keep our heads cool when our electric fans are useless? Take note also that Zamboanga is one of the key cities in the Philippines closest to the equator – one of the hottest places on Earth.

The power outages stem from the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative’s (ZAMCELCO) outstanding debts with Western Mindanao Power Corporation (WMPC).

Following an investment management contract bidding, ZAMCELCO was recently brought into management under CROWN-DESCO Investment Holdings, Inc. After weeks of negotiations, CROWN-DESCO finally agreed to pay around half of ZAMCELCO’s Php467 million-debt to WMPC (around Php220 million). This restored power to the city for the next 60 days beginning last April 29.

 “We are glad to restore power and normalcy to Zamboanga City,” WMPC and Alsons Power Group vice president for business development Joseph Nocos previously said.

Now that power has been restored in the city, we all are hoping that this would truly last. We, therefore, ask CROWN-DESCO to make good of its commitment to provide uninterrupted power by paying WMPC the remainder of its dues.  This way, the power crisis in the city would truly come to an end and normalcy would be restored to the city’s electricity supply.