Siargao Island continues to face occasional power interruptions months amid the 14-day blackout in December 2024 caused by the damage of a 41-year-old submarine cable, according to the Center for Energy Research and Policy (CERP).
In an interview during DZRH's Isyung Pambayan, CERP co-convenor Yla Marie Paras said that although outages are no longer as long as last year, the island’s power infrastructure remains fragile.
“Hindi na siya 14 days, hindi na dalawang linggo. Mga sampung oras na lang,” Paras explained, noting that the local government and the National Electrification Administration are coordinating with the Siargao Electric Cooperative (SIARELCO) to maintain supply.
The blackout, which crippled the island’s economy for two weeks, was estimated to have cost Siargao over ₱1.09 billion in losses, particularly among small businesses and tourism establishments.
“Sa isang araw, ang nawawala na revenues sa kanila ay Php30,000. At hindi po natin sinasabi na malaki siyang restaurant. Pwede siyang yung mga hole in the wall lang na may kita sa Siargao. So, pag-cumulatively po natin na natin yung mga estimasyon, dun sa dalawang linggo na pagkawala ay 1 billion plus, so 1.09 billion yung nawala from Siargao.” she said.
“So kung magtutuloy-tuloy po ito, hindi po parang lugi lang siya actually sa mga negosyo. Hindi siya nababawi,” she added
Paras clarified that the damaged submarine cable has only been temporarily patched, not replaced. While they are recommending it to be replaced, Paras admitted that funding, possible service disruptions, and heavy business losses during installation have delayed the replacement.
Paras also highlighted the need for stronger governance among electric cooperatives, improved infrastructure redundancy, and the mainstreaming of energy resilience in local tourism and development plans.
“Kailangan din po nating i-consider na mayroong mga malalayo, so yung mga off-grid… kailangan din yan ng additional investment kung paano maikakabit sa main grid o magkaroon ng alternatibong mapagkukunan ng kuryente,” she said.
She then urged the public to be proactive in supporting energy security efforts. “Sana po ay maging aware tayo at maging watchdog para sa mga serbisyong ibinibigay sa atin… Patayin po ang ilaw pag wala naman tao sa kwarto, tanggalin po ang mga plug. Yun po ay makakapag-save tayo on energy,” Paras reminded.
