Beneco records P1.1-M damage from 'Crising,' 'habagat'
Published Jul 22, 2025 06:56 pm
PINE tree toppled by 'Crising' in Baguio City. (Photo via Zaldy Comanda)
BAGUIO CITY – The Benguet Electric Cooperative reported P1.1 million in damage to infrastructure in its service area due to tropical cyclone “Crising” and southwest monsoon.
Beneco said as of 8 a.m. July 22, three transformers –
two in Tuba, Benguet (Tadiangan and Tabaan) and one in Apugan, Irisan, this city – were damaged and cost P509,000.Fourteen downed power poles, including related lines and protective devices, totaling P655,000, were also recorded.
Customers under four feeders connected to the North Sanitary Camp substation experienced the most severe power outages during Crising.
Full power has been restored to all barangays here, with only a few isolated households still experiencing outages or low voltage issues.
Restoration efforts are underway in Benguet, with the town of Bokod reporting the lowest restoration rate at 78 percent. Other municipalities have reached 92 and 100 percent restoration.
Beneco said power has been restored to 97.2 percent of households.
Most electricity poles were damaged by landslides and fallen trees.
“Exercise utmost safety when working on our lines,” Beneco General Manager Melchor Licoben reminded field workers. “As much as we want to restore power as soon as possible, we must prioritize the safety of all.”
Meanwhile, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported 19 soil erosion, landslides, and rockfall incidents during Crising.
Fourteen fallen old pine trees were recorded, causing power outages in various areas.
“The rains here are really heavy and based on the reports we got from different weather stations and Pagasa, we have received more than 300 millimeters of rain in the past three days and considering that for the past one month we have had continuous rains, our ground has been saturated, so we had 19 soil erosions during the typhoon,” said Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
“We have 10 partially damaged houses and 10 fallen pine trees, one sinkhole in Barangay Dominican, one totally damaged vehicle that was hit by a large rock. The good news is that we have no injuries or fatality, except for a dog that was hit by a rock in Camp 7.”
Magalong suspended classes on all levels and government work on Wednesday, July 23, following Memorandum Circular No. 90 issued by the Office of the President.
Heavy rain is expected due to the southwest monsoon and tropical depression “Dante” here in the coming days.