The Department of Energy (DOE) has mobilized the full strength of the energy sector to fast-track power restoration in the Province of Masbate, where communities continue to bear the brunt of Super Typhoon (STS) Opong.
Acting on the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the DOE, together with the National Electrification Administration (NEA), National Power Corporation (NPC), electric cooperatives (ECs), and oil industry partners, is leading an all-hands effort to energize lifeline facilities, ease the burden on families, and bring the province back on its feet, swiftly and decisively.
The DOE, in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region V, is mapping out critical facilities that urgently require generator sets. To strengthen ground operations, the Department has enlisted the Philippine Navy to transport 40 Task Force Kapatid (TFK) teams from Regions III, IV A, VI, and VII, and has secured the Philippine Ports Authority’s commitment to prioritize their passage through the heavily congested Pio Duran and Pilar ports.
Support from ECs nationwide is also underway, with NEA deploying multiple TFK units. A 13 member team from the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative, Inc. (FICELCO) has already been mobilized and now on board M/v Sta Clara ferry to reinforce operations at the Masbate Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MASELCO). By tomorrow, nine (9) additional teams from Region V ECs will bolster MASELCO’s restoration drive, while three to four more teams will be dispatched to Tablas Island Electric Cooperative, Inc (TIELCO) in Ticao Island to accelerate power recovery.
To reinforce restoration, NPC has requested Navy transport for vehicles and personnel from Luzon to augment its Power Restoration Task Force in the province. In addition, nine (9) generator sets, each with a 12kW single-phase 240VAC capacity, are being readied at the Mobo Substation for immediate deployment to hospitals across the province, including Ticao District, Claveria District, Cataingan District, Aroroy Municipal, Balud Municipal, Mandaon Medicare Community, Cawayan Municipal, Moises R. Espinosa Sr. Memorial, and Masbate Provincial Hospital, ensuring uninterrupted operations in these critical health facilities.
Meanwhile, the DOE-Oil Industry Management Bureau convened oil companies this afternoon to firm up supply and logistics for Masbate. While three retail stations remain temporarily closed, the majority are operational, and fuel requirements for restoration teams and critical facilities are assured.
The energy sector stands united, government agencies, ECs, and private partners moving as one, to restore electricity in Masbate. With every resource and team mobilized, the sector’s shared mission is clear: restore power swiftly, safeguard lifelines, and deliver relief to every community affected by STS Opong.
