Just a few more days; power and water crisis still in Bohol

Jenalyn Castaño went to bed early on Friday night since the province was plunged into darkness.

As soon as she awoke, she reached from her bed and flicked the nearest light switch.

There was light.

A student is using a rechargeable flashlight 

while studying her lesson. The province of Bohol

 is plunged into darkness after a strong earthquake

 hit Leyte last Thursday. Leo Udtohan

"Nakurat ko kay naa nay kuryente mao gi-charged nako dayun akong cellphon  (I was surprised that there was already electricity that is why I immediately charged my cellular phone)," said Castaño, 30, who lives on Lamdagan Street in this city.

"Hopeful ko padayun na unta ni nga musiga na (I am hopeful this will continue)"

Although power had resumed in Bohol last Friday night but it was limited only in the capital city of Tagbilaran and for a limited hours. An average six-hour rotational brownout had been implemented in Tagbilaran due to acute power deficiency throughout Bohol because of the shutdown of a geothermal power plant in Leyte, the province’s main energy source.

Power barge

Local leaders said the power supply in Bohol will be fully restored soon.

Acting provincial administrator lawyer John Mitchell Boiser said Bohol has sought to harness energy from two power barges which came from IloIlo City and General Santos City.

“That is another option to address the power outage since the power lines in Leyte will take weeks to restore,” said Boiser.

He said the power barge from IloIlo City is expected to arrive in Bohol in three to seven days, while the power barge from General Santos City would take about three weeks to reach Bohol.

Boiser said officials of the energy companies last Thursday inspected three proposed docking sites of the power barges in Cortes, Maribojoc, and Loon towns.

Once the barges arrive and are ready to operate, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) will then have to install lines to transmit power to electric distributors.

Each barge can generate up to 32 megawatts of power.

Bohol has a power demand of 70-80 megawatts, Boiser said.

In the meantime, Bohol Light Company Inc., the main power distributor in Bohol, tapped Bohol Diesel Power Plant (BDPP) in Barangay Dampas, Tagbilaran to supply power in the city although its capacity was not enough to meet the demand. The SPC Island Power Corporation which owns the BDPP was given provisional authority to operate by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) last week.

Residents have been hit by the double whammy

 of a power blackout and the subsequent 

water service interruption after the Leyte earthquake. 

Leo Udtohan

The BDPP’s capacity to release power to the province’s capital was granted following an appeal made by the provincial board members, according to Totsie Escobia, provincial information officer.

Escobia said the request was also expedited through the efforts of Gov. Edgar Chatto, who was in Canada for an official function. Bohol has been and still is dependent on its power supply from Malitbog Geothermal Plant in Leyte province being connected with submarine cable from Maasin City to President Carlos P. Garcia island town of Bohol.

Power requirement for Bohol was between 70-80 MW during peak hours, said May Hope Arcenal, BLCI spokesperson.

Bohol has three hydro plants in Hanopol in Balihan town, Loboc town and Sevilla town with a combined capacity of less than 10MW.

 Arcenal said BDPP can generate up to 12 MW which was alternately distributed by the BLCI to its consumers in Tagbilaran City. But it was not enough since Tagbilaran's power demand was 25 MW, she added.

Some areas in Tagbilaran City had power for only an hour due to limited supply and high demand. Arcenal said mall owners and big establishments in the city used generator sets to help maximize the power. Water was also a problem that residents stormed supermarkets and water refilling stations to buy potable water. Arcenal said water is also rationed in some barangays.

Tagbilaran residents are waiting for water until dawn.
Photo by  Leo Udtohan

The Bohol Electric Cooperatives 1 and 2 also started to ration electricity to its consumers.

Double whammy

Residents affected by the power outage also lost flowing potable water.

Many residents on Lamdagan Street in Cogon were carrying their containers as they lined-up to wait for their turn to get water from the water tankers sent by the city government to ration water to the affected areas.

The community is among the 15 barangays (villages) in the city that are affected by the temporary water supply cut-off.

 “We have endure the long line because we don’t have water in the house,” said 15-year-old Jezzrel Taal, 15, about the water service interruption, on Saturday afternoon.

Residents along Graham Avenue in Barangay Booy also queued for their water ration until Saturday night. Others went home when the fire truck didn’t return.

“It doesn’t matter if we don’t have electricity for as long as we have water,” said Bebei Lim, 46.

The Bohol Water Utilities, Inc. (BWUI) in Tagbilaran City used portable generator sets to power one of the water pumping stations along the J.A. Clarin-Dao road for its consumers. But the supply was limited to few areas.

People bought mineral water at P30 to P50 per container instead of the usual P15 to P20 in water refilling stations.

The owners said the increase in prices was due to the added cost since they were using generator sets to operate.

Some residents would go to Caingget Beach and Bulok-Bulok Spring to wash their clothes and take a bath.

But Mia Cadenas, 59, a resident of Barangay Sto. Nino in San Miguel town said many coped with the situation.

“We were getting used to not having any electricity. The big problem was we could no longer watch our favorite telenovelas,” said Cadenas.

The water service interruption was not a big deal for some since they could still get clean water from the deep well and spring.

Stores in Tagbilaran and municipal halls also offered free charging of  cellphones.

In Jagna town, Councilor Anthony Aniscal allowed residents to charge their cellphones for free using his generator set. 

Tourism affected

The tourism industry has been affected by the power outage.

Resort owners and operators in Panglao Island, the province’s tourism jewel, complain that the constant power outage in the province is cutting down the number of tourists visiting the area.

Resort owner Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan says the power crises 

has affected his resort in Panglao town. Leo Udtohan

Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan, owner of Dumaluan Beach Resort 2, said they had several booking cancellations due to the unstable power supply in the province.

Dumaluan Beach Resort 2 is a six-hectare property in Barangay Bolod in Panglao which was established in 1998. “Definitely, we are affected by the power interruption.

Although it is business as usual here, our tourist arrival declined due to power and water issues,” said Dumaluan. Dumaluan said that the decline started during the Abu Sayyaf infiltration last April.

The military forces killed all the Abu Sayyaf members in Inabanga town on the northern tip of Bohol, about 81 km from Panglao where tourists would usually go. Dumaluan said they had been relying mainly on three generator sets which were very costly to operate for his 107 rooms.

They are spending P30,000 to P50,000 daily for fuel to run the generators.

“We have no other choice since we need to cater the needs of our guests who are staying in our resort,” said Dumaluan. Most of the guests are Europeans.

Dumaluan is calling on the government to help address the power situation in the province.

In case for Panglao, Boheco 1 is distributing power in Panglao town with at least 6 megawatts. Dumaluan is urging for a power plant to be centrally located in Bohol as the province is only relying on power plants based in Eastern Visayas.

“Now that Leyte is affected, Bohol is also affected. They have to not only listen now, they have to learn not only to learn but to work now because this happened thrice already,” he said.

The first was on Oct. 15, 2013 when the province was hit by a magnitude 7.2 tremor that brought Bohol to its knees. The next month, Supertyphoon “Yolanda” hit most parts of the Visayas and affected the power suply on Nov. 8, 2013.

More than three years later, another strong earthquake hit Leyte province on July 6 but still affected Bohol. Smarting from the Bohol earthquake and Yolanda, Dumaluan purchased three generator sets for his resorts. He also put up his own wastewater treatment facility and a seven-meter long and four-meter wide water tank. “But it is still not enough,” he said.

But the effect on smaller beach resorts was worse. A resort owner (who asked for anonymity) said her guests left the resort due to the brownout and inability of water.

“It is hurting us because this is causing financial setback on our part,” she said.

Davon (family name withheld upon his request), a Russian guest, said he had to cut short his three-day Bohol trip.

“I have no choice here,” he said, because he could not sleep well with the noise coming from the generator set.

But Josephine Remolador-Cabarrus, head of the Bohol Tourism Office, assured that the power crisis in Panglao was just temporary since the provincial government was closely coordinating with the Department of Energy to speed up the restoration of power in Bohol.

She said that Bohol was able to respond the power outage in 2013 that lasted for a month. The province's tourism industry then bounced back in 2015 and 2016.

“Considering that tourism is very resilient industry, it would somehow bounce back. We always have to hope even they said that hope is the greatest sin, but hope is the thing that will get us going. I know the industry will bounce back,” she said.

***

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Tagbilaran hit by floods; power outage in Bohol

Thursday had two unforgettable events.

First, after two hours of rain, several areas in this city were flooded on Thursday.

The heavy rain started around 10:30 a.m., triggering knee-deep flood on H. Grupo Street.

Heavy rains also turned Lamdagan Street into a virtual river where people were forced to wade in knee-deep floodwaters.

The heavy rain also flooded some schools. In Cogon Elementary School, the school children were forced to walk in floodwater as some of them went home for lunch.

Boy Reyes, 46, carried his son, a Grade 1 pupil, on his shoulder.

Students wade through floodwaters after 

heavy rains that hit Bohol on Thursday. Leo Udtohan

The heavy rains also left office workers stranded.

Flights were also delayed and diverted due to poor visibility at the Tagbilaran Airport because of the downpour.

A source at the Tagbilaran Airport said that a Philippine Airlines flight diverted to Mactan Cebu International Airport after two attempts to land at the Tagbilaran airport around 10 a.m. on Thursday due to zero visibility.

Four hours after the heavy downpour, a sudden blackout occurred. The strong earthquake that hit Leyte province caused a power transmission system to trip off and damaged power sources.

Bohol sources its power from Leyte since the province has no power source of its own.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) had not given a statement on when power would resume although sources said the blackout could last three to four days.

“Power interruption will prolong as full assessment of transmission facilities is still to be completed,” said Betty Martinez, NGCP-Visayas spokesperson.

Around 261,000 households in the province had without electricity.

Michelle Barimbao, 28, had to buy kerosene at a gasoline station in the city since the sari-sari stores had run out of supply after the blackout gripped the province following Thursday’s earthquake.

Kerosene is commonly used for cooking and other energy needs.

However, the product has been scarce in Tagbilaran since many gas stations run out of supply since Thursday night.

Barimbao was told that Florencio Gasoline Station CPG East Avenue corner J.A. Clarin Street sold kerosene for P42.50 per liter.

Residents lined up at the gas station until midnight.

Most of the Boholanos had dinner by candlelight

 or kerosene lamp on Thursday night. Leo Udtohan

Barimbao and other residents had dinner by candlelight or kerosene lamp.

She said that after eating dinner, they just went to sleep because there was nothing much to do with no electricity.

Some business establishments with no generator sets in the capital Tagbilaran City were closed.

Barimbao said the blackout reminded her of the aftermath of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (International Name: Haiyan) on Nov. 8, 2013 that hit the province three weeks after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook Bohol and killed at least 200 people.

Yolanda affected the geothermal power plant in Leyte which caused the brownouts that lasted for more than a month.

Power had not resumed in Bohol as well as in Leyte, Southern Leyte and on Samar Island after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked Leyte at 4:03 p.m. on Thursday.

The quake caused a power transmission system to trip off and damaged power sources.

Based on NGCP’s advisory on Friday morning, tower along the 138-kV Ormoc-Togonan Line in Ormoc City, Leyte was found leaning following aerial and ground inspections.

NGCP has also mobilized six line gangs to temporarily restore the Ormoc-Togonan 138kV Line. Another line gang was sent to Kananga Switchyard, owned by Energy Development Corporation (EDC), to assist in restoration and to assess possible ways of extending power from the Tabango Substation to Ormoc Substation, the statement said.

NGCP’s Cebu-Leyte submarine cable, and its Tabango Substation in Leyte continue to transmit power to Leyte Electric Cooperative 5 that served the towns of Tabango, San Isidro, and Villaba.

“There is a complete loss of power in Bohol and Samar islands, and Southern Leyte. Due to supply deficiency caused by the outage of power plants located in Leyte, customers in Cebu, Negros, and Panay may also suffer occasional power interruptions,” said the NGCP advisory.

Since there was no power, several residents in Bohol also complained of no water supply. Many residents stormed malls, stores and water refilling stations to buy water.

People lined up in a gasoline station in 

Tagbilaran City until midnight to buy kerosone. 

Leo Udtohan

“We don’t have power. We don’t have water. Where will we turn to,” asked Anabelle Magoncia, 45, a resident of Ubujan District.

In its advisory, the Bohol Light advised consumers to conserve batteries and water.

“Power plants & NGCP Sub-station in Leyte are shut down and still on assessment period. Power restoration for Bohol may take long. Please take precautions to prevent fire, conserve water and remove plugs from outlets,” it said.

Many residents vented their frustration on social media.

“Almost four years since the Yolanda blackouts and yet it seems that we didn't learn something from it at all,” said Daisy Jane Sajulga-Galve on Facebook. “Having our own source of electricity should have been the number 1 priority of this province.”

Beryl Elizabeth Lupot, who works with a nongovernment organization in Tagbilaran, said there was a need for Bohol to have its own power source especially with its economic boom.

“Yes of course, we really need to have our own energy source, especially now that we have a new international airport and Bohol is progressing rapidly,” said Lupot.

“Bohol has it all except its own energy source,” she added.

Another resident Keith Joseph Sepe posted on Facebook that Bohol had experienced a long Earth Day.

“Bohol needs their own Power Plant ge (should be) prioritize(d) unta na! Dili ang (not the) International airport,” Sepe said. He used the hashtags #Justsaying!! #BoholBlackout #Earthday #EarthquakeLeyte #PrayForLeyte.

Willy Ramasola also posted on Facebook that the experience should make the local and national officials realize that Bohol should not be dependent on Leyte for its power source.

“Oh well. No need to learn past lessons as long as you make sure you win elections. And the people pay the painful price. Enjoy eating melted ice creams tonight, my fellow Boholanos,” said Ramasola.

On the worst case, repair and restoration of the transmission lines may not take longer than one week.

Bohol will be bracing for more dark nights.

Note: While power supply was restored in Tagbilaran City on Friday night as part of rationing system, environmental activist Jumjum Ouano shares his thoughts on coal-powered plant:

There is plan that Government of Bohol is eyeing on investing in Coal - Powered Plant just to supply electricity in the Province, with the recent events in Leyte and that the power blackout in the Province my fear is that most Boholanos will approved of this investment plan without considering hazards it will entail to the community and general public as a whole.

To my fellow Boholanos, I know it is difficult to not have electricity as it affects our daily lives and even our supply of water. It is not easy but let us not fall into a trap of giving a thumbs up to this kind of source of power, aside from it is not sustainable, how can we claim that we are a prime ECO-cultural and heritage tourism destination?

There are other means to get our supply of electricity by not resorting in Coal-powered plant. I am speaking about this because I myself opposes to the Ludo Coal Powered plant in Cebu, and the hell would I allow the same will be built in Bohol.

I am not speaking in the comfort that I can escape the recent situation there right now because in the longer run I would still be coming home to Bohol. Again hear me out, there are more better alternatives, the Government is not limited to it. It’s just that they are not posting the issue of electricity as a priority since they could have done something about it for example, Dams.

My fellow advocates for environmental protection, let us be vigilant and let us not sold our principles for a convenient solution as of the moment. Let us all consider the longer impact. Coal is Dirty!

***

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Back to basic

It’s another day, and for hundreds of thousands, no power.

36-year-old Eva Aquino of Tagbilaran City remembers the days when everyone would struggle to prepare food and clean the house with a sporadic power supply.  

“Electricity was a luxury then,” says Eva, a pensioner.

There were times when her family had to use “lamparilya,” a small night lamp, because of frequent brownouts.

More than 15 years later, she faces the same tribulations. “It’s the same thing. Naanad nami. It’s going back to basic.”

 Residents fetch water in artesian well...

Preparing meals for her high school daughter is a tough job without electricity. Cleaning the house is another ordeal.

“Foods should be consumed because there’s no refrigerator,” says Aquino.

As result of the massive brownouts, water supplies were affected because water is distributed through electric pumps.

Residents in Booy district, Tagbilaran City have to go to deep and artesian wells to fetch water.  32-year-old Domar Quibol would wake up at 4 a.m. to go to the communal artesian well for their family’s share of water. Cues were long and access to clean and safe water was low. Others go to Caingget Beach’s “tubod” to wash their clothes, bath and fetch water for home use.

...and some go to Caingget Beach to bath and fetch water.

Resorts in Panglao have diesel-powered generators for use during scheduled outages or brownouts, but it’s becoming expensive to run now that we are experiencing power and water shortages in the province after Yolanda hit the country.

Because other residents could not afford to buy generators, they make use of used oil and salt to make a lamp.  

We have been in the dark since Yolanda hit our place. When will power begin to flicker?

More than18,000 customers have had no power in Tagbilaran City, according to the Bohol Light Company, Inc (BLCI).

“Hopefully, we are doing our efforts to restore the power maybe earlier for that matter. We are hoping for the best before December 24 or earlier,” says May Hope “Dice” Arcenal, public relations officer of BLCI.

May Hope Arcenal is living up to her name --- she is giving accurate and up-to-date information about our electricity (most of the time glad tidings of great joy not only to the thousands, yes, count’em!, BLCI valued consumers but also to the whole community listening to her on radio.)

BLCI (like Boheco 1 and 2) is only a power distributor so the company is at the mercy of the supplier.

Hospitals and water suppliers are given priority in the power rationing.

“All we can do is to bear with these crises we are facing now. We have plenty to be thankful for what we have because only the power is out. We are still fortunate enough we don’t experience what the Leyte people have experienced,” says the unassuming, low-key and down-to-earth Arcenal. “Just be patient as of this moment. We need all your understanding.”

May Hope "Dice" Arcenal

Bb. Pilipinas World-2006 and Bangon Visayas crusader Anna Maris Igpit posted on Facebook: “Boholanos, I know we have been experiencing power and water shortage in our province. It's becoming a big hassle for us because we are not used to it. But I think we have to be reminded that our problem is nothing compared to the sufferings of those in Leyte, Samar, Capiz, Iloilo, Cebu, Palawan and other places. They have nothing to eat, no roof, no houses, no water, no livelihood, basically NOTHING. So let us stop complaining and ranting because we are still blessed. I would also like to appeal that our government declare Bohol a SPUG (Small Power Utilities Group) area so that NPC can provide electricity or gen sets at affordable rates. We can't afford to allow this power shortage to affect our economy.”

While we are at it, UB’s Registrar Leah Tirol-Magno shares these very smart and practical tips:

We have been in an "American living" mode for so long now, and with the recent development that Tagbilaran City and the whole province of Bohol will be on blackout mode for an undetermined period, let me share some practical tips, as we go along with our daily lives:

1. In "ironing" clothes, use a damp face towel, rub it on crumpled or creased clothes. Hang the clothes to dry. Now it's ready to wear like it's freshly ironed.

2. We use paper plates, plastic spoons, forks and cups so we don't need to wash dishes. Save on water and same on time. Sorry for the additional garbage amount.

3. Guys, you may pee in the garden, so you need not use water to flush the toilet.

Note: In the old Booy neighborhood, we walked kilometers to fetch water bringing our containers and galloons. Life was very simple then; there was no electricity. Electricity and water came in 1980s...but we survived.

***

 Lobocanon Ana Liza Abao, a Masscom student at Southwestern University, shares her story on Christmas, Pinoy style, in her “Let’s Bring It On”:

On one rainy morning when Zoraida tried to have her name be remembered, I was riding in one of Cebu City’s passenger jeepney when out of nowhere, three youngsters hopped in with alarming looks. In a minute or two, they started their showdown that had awakened my senses to comprehend what they really want. Placing his right hand above his chest that seems like a ‘Panatang Makabayan’ gesture, one of them made an introduction in Cebuano dialect and said, “Ma’am, Sir ayaw kamo kabalaka. Dili kami daotang taw niining buntaga. Buot lamang kami mopaambit sa among musika tungod kay lagi Pasko na. Wagtanga ang problema kay mipalayo na si Yolanda. Break it down, oh yeah!”

Mighty goodness, it wasn’t a hold-up and that was a relief. To continue, the three of them entertained us with their originally composed Christmas carols in humorous lyrics. The elderly woman seated next to me responded with a grin and might have been delighted by the beat box and sound effects like Showtime’s Jam Bunganga contestants as she handed to them a fifty-peso bill instead of the reminder ‘Barya lang po sa umaga.’

Oh yeah, it’s almost Christmas. In the aftermath of catastrophic disasters which reminded us that we have not been good stewards of nature and now we reap the harvest of our indifference and wrongdoing, I wonder how many of us are still eager towards Christmas countdown.

With the way things are, how are we going to celebrate our Christmases like the way we used to- our Boholano homes adorned with colorful decorations along with Christmas delights. And to complete, those house-to-house caroling ended with the words ‘Ang babait ninjo, tingkyu!’

Christmas may never be the same from the previous years but the Lord- the Emmanuelle is still the same God-who-is-with-us and His presence in our lives light the way for all whose lives we’ve touched.

 Yes it is. For all whose lives we’ve touched. Needless to say, our ‘bayanihan’ spirit in the midst of the threat of calamities has inspired others to share what they have. Those nameless millions who have donated cash and goods from the different parts of the globe and the untiring time, effort and willingness of others to repack those relief goods have kept our resilience even in turbulent times.

Just as it is more fun in the Philippines, truly we can easily find ways to laugh or smile after the unimaginable quake that hit our beloved Bohol and Yolanda’s hellish wrath in the region.

I remembered how my calm and refine 87 year old aunt laughed upon reading the quake-licious menu with a twist offered by one of Loboc’s floating resto (that is  Loboc Riverwatch owned by Tessie and Libby Sumampong- LPU) such as linog-gaw and manganitude with 7.2 bagoong. In addition, they also have seafood kurog-kurog with suman dagan-dagan and bingkang naliki. What an earth shocking offering.

When Yolanda struck unmercifully after Napoles exposed her favorite piece of “I invoke my right” matched with “I don’t know”, I knew of someone who devoted her time, effort and confidence to take ‘selfie’ pics having the caimito tree with its leaves swinging in the strong wind and rain as her background. People of this age.

Oh yes, Napoles. Remembering the pork barrel queen makes me create a wild  imagination that it would be better for her to be thrown into the sea as a sacrificial offering to prevent Yolanda from coming. Like the reluctant prophet Jonah in the days of old, Napoles can be swallowed by a big whale and be vomited into an island where she can think things right.

Since electricity had been cut off for two days in the vicinity where my Bol-anon co-boarders and I are staying, I made use of my time by reading Bob Ong’s book entitled ‘Stainless Longganisa’ which was bought by my sister right after we visited our barrio cemetery in Loboc. There is no connection with the book and the cemetery but at least I had an early Christmas present during All Souls’ Day. And Bob Ong must be a lover of gags when he wrote “Iniaalay sa mga punong ginawang papel para maging libro” instead of dedicating his book to his family and loved ones.

As to when will be electricity be ever restored to normalcy is still uncertain. A text message from a friend expressed her dismay as she missed to watch the fairytale wedding of the year. She was referring to Ser Chief and Maya’s matrimonial vows. And that wedding was trending on twitter #BCWMHthefairytaleweddingoftheyear. Someone added, “kilig much.”

Heck, that wedding day was on the same date when that 7.2 trembling quake hit Bohol.

On the other hand, as there is always the negative side, it is disgusting how Satan and all his minions tried to disunite us even in social media portals wherein some individuals belonging to a sect have raged war against Catholics claiming that they are the only ones who will be saved and that Catholics must be doomed and perished from the earth.  

Instead of claiming for salvation exclusively or condemning others because of religion, it would be better for us to be reminded the story of the woman caught in adultery where Jesus said to them, “Whichever of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her.”

Each of us is a mixture of good and evil but there is always God’s spark in us. Let us then use this spark even in our own little way and become bearers of charity and goodness to others.

To all of us who are experiencing these dark moments much more than Anderson Cooper had seen in reality, now is the time for us to assert each other that we are one as a grateful nation- a Christian country who knows how to smile even if the world doesn’t smiles back.

In unison, let’s bring it on!

***

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.