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Iloilo bizmen lament negative impact of blackout

Philippines | Luzon

Iloilo bizmen lament negative impact of blackout

By Tara Yap

ILOILO CITY – The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)-Iloilo chapter lamented the negative impact of the long and massive power blackout in this city, Iloilo province, and the rest of Panay Island.

A SHOP in Iloilo City is forced to use a generator due to a blackout. (Arnold Almacen/CMO)

“This can pose a severe threat to the economy by disrupting productivity, increasing operational costs, and hampering technological advancements,” said Engr. Fulbert Woo, PCCI-Iloilo president.

“This can have downstream effects on Iloilo's overall economic well-being and job creation,” added Woo.

This city and towns in Iloilo are still reeling from the blackout that started past noon on January 2.

Power utility distributor MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) here and the three Iloilo Electric Cooperatives Inc. (ILECOs) have to implement rotational power blackouts to bring temporary electricity to some areas for a certain period of time.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) cannot fully deliver and transmit power from other sources after its system was affected by the reported technical problems of power plants here.

Some businesses temporarily did not open from January 3 to 4 as it would be inefficient.

While malls have drawn crowds and hotels are fully booked, some lamented that the operational costs for the day are skyrocketing when management has to spend extra to run power generators.

The prolonged blackout also disrupted telecommunications systems as certain areas did not have mobile signal or mobile data signal as some mobile cell sites rely on electricity to run its system.

The PCCI-Iloilo noted the impact on residents and the productivity of working Ilonggos, some of whom lacked proper sleep because of the humid weather.

Related Tags

Blackout Panay Island Iloilo Iloilo City

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