2 Mindanao power plants continue operating

By Myrna M. Velasco – April 8, 2020, 10:00 PM
from Manila Bulletin

Two of the electric generating power plants in Mindanao are continuously operating amid the enforcement of extended enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and the sporadic lockdowns enforced in some places, including provinces in the southern part of the country.

The power facilities of FDC Utilities, Inc. (FDCUI) of the Gotianun-led Filinvest Development Corporation, primarily those sited in Misamis Oriental, had been running during the novel coronavirus quarantine period in the country, with the company assuring that “Mindanaoans will continue to have unimpeded access to electricity amidst the public health emer¬gency.”

That had been anchored on the business continuity plan (BCP) that the company has instituted as required by Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi.

Juan Eugenio L. Roxas, presi¬dent and CEO of FDCUI, indicated “having access to stable power is crucial for our front-liners to help curb the impact and fur¬ther prevent the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.”

In parallel, the Alsons Power Group of the Alcantara Group said its power plants have been constantly running at the duration of the ‘stay-at-home’ mandate on the Filipinos because of the escalating spread of the virus.

Alsons Power Executive Vice President Tirso G. Santillan said “our operations are ongoing and we continue to dispatch power to our various customers in Mind¬anao.”

And while sustaining its business operations, Santillan noted the company is also helping local government units “in providing food to the residents of the areas where they operate namely Iligan City, Zamboanga City and Maasim in Sarangani province.”