Task Force contingents may have spent their holidays away from home, but nothing beats the happiness of being part of something bigger than yourself by sacrificing your own comfort and helping those in need.
This is the general sentiment of lineworkers sent to help areas severely affected by Typhoon Odette as they spent their holidays in the field, restoring damaged poles, wires, and transformers; or travelling from island to island going to areas assigned to them by PHILRECA, the association of all electric cooperatives nationwide who is spearheading the coordination of the Task Force Kapatid.
“We have nothing but the highest respect and appreciation to our Warriors of Light, who, without second thoughts, bravely accepted the mission to assist our electric cooperatives whose distribution systems were damaged by Typhoon Odette,” Atty. Janeene Depay-Colingan, Executive Director and General Manager of PHILRECA said in a statement today.
“In addition to being far away from their loved ones for a long time during the holidays, these lineworkers will be facing dangers and risks as they restore and repair the distribution system, perform clearing operations, and transport heavy equipment and materials in terrains unknown to many of them,” added Colingan.
“Sadly, we have had some casualties as some of our beloved but unspoken heroes losing their lives in line of duty,” reported Colingan.
In PHILRECA’s previous releases, there were lineworkers who unfortunately lost their lives while helping in the restoration of damaged facilities of affected electric cooperatives. But according to the Association, instead of having low morale, such untoward incidents only confirmed their resolve that indeed, they need the support of everyone to complete the restoration of ECs’ distribution system and finally energize every home in the area.
Challenges being Monitored by the Task Force
The main challenge of the organization at the moment is to maximize the inter-island transport of the contingents from port of origin to the port of destination.
“We are very thankful for the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard for assisting us in the best that they can, but due to our large contingents, the vessel available from the Navy is still not enough to complete the transport of our Task Force,” Engr. Kenjie Fagyan said.
“Because of this, we have to consider availing the services of bigger vessels from commercial shipping lines, which means additional but necessary costs from the part of non-profit ECs,” added Fagyan.
Another concern mentioned by PHILRECA is the situation of some ports which are unusable at the moment, which means they would have to travel a longer route in some instances so they can go to a port where the boom trucks, utility vehicles, and other equipment can be loaded.
Status of Energization
As of this writing, almost all electric cooperatives are partially or fully energized already. But due to the heavy damage sustained by some electric cooperatives, the following remain unenergized: Bohol I Electric Cooperative (BOHECO I), Bohol II Electric Cooperative (BOHECO II), Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SOLECO), Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative Inc. (SURNECO), Siargao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SIARELCO), and Dinagat Island Electric Cooperative, Inc. (DIELCO).
NGCP power transmission services are still unavailable in the areas of BOHECO I, BOHECO II, SIARELCO, and SOLECO, with partial availability in Negros Oriental I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NORECO I), Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NORECO II), SURNECO, and Surigao del Sur II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SURSECO II).
Simultaneous Relief Efforts for Affected Employees and MCOs
To maximize the efforts of the Task Force Kapatid, the One EC Network Foundation (OECNF) took advantage of the availability of utility vehicles to send in relief goods like food, water, rice, and other basic necessities.
“We received information that some areas are experiencing lack of food and other basic necessities, so, instead of sending financial assistance in those areas, we requested our members to purchase the necessary goods and send these together with the Task Force contingents,” said Presley C. De Jesus, president of PHILRECA and OECNF.
“We are still consolidating information on effect of the typhoon to coop employees and MCOs, but as of this writing, the Foundation has released Php 4,951,000.00 worth of assistance – in cash and in kind – for the benefit of those EC employees and families affected by the typhoon,” added De Jesus.
In addition to the help from the OECNF, some ECs have also directly sent their own assistance to affected regions.
More Teams from Other ECs to be Deployed
At the moment, Task Force Kapatid has deployed or scheduled to deploy 107 teams composed of 650 contingents, and 133 vehicles (boom trucks and other utility vehicles).
In addition to the Visayas and Mindanao contingents, PHILRECA reports that ECs from Luzon will be sending more teams to help in the Task Force.
Source:
PHILRECA Reports Task Force Kapatid Is in Full Swing; Praises the Unwavering Commitment of Lineworkers and other Frontliners | PHILRECA (http://web.philreca.org/…/philreca-reports-task-force…/)