Go cites remote areas' energy problem

SEN. Christopher «Bong» Go raised the lack of electrification in the country's remote areas and pointed out the urgent need to address this energy gap during the Senate plenary debates on the 2024 budget proposal of the Department of Energy (DoE) on Monday.

He also expressed concern about recurring brownouts in other areas of the country.

Go highlighted DoE's key contribution in providing electricity to households across the Philippines, noting that the lack of energy supply would have a profound impact on the lives of the people.

«The DoE plays a pivotal role in the electrification of households across the nation, particularly in far-flung areas and barangay,» the senator said in his manifestation.

«This commitment is not just a matter of convenience but one that directly impacts the lives of our fellow citizens, bringing light to even the remotest corners of our archipelago,» he added.

Further, Go brought to everyone's attention the power outages in various regions, including Samal, Davao del Norte, Palawan and Mindoro.

He reminded the DoE of the importance of monitoring these areas to prevent further brownouts.

But he quickly clarified that his manifestation was «just a little reminder to our Department of Energy to monitor areas that continue to experience brownouts.»

Go also cited a previous Senate hearing that focused on the brownouts in Samal. He noted that while there had been some improvements after the hearing, the problem was still not fully resolved.

He then urged the DoE to check and monitor compliance to avoid further brownouts, noting the inconvenience these incidents bring to ordinary Filipinos, especially to their livelihood.

During a public hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Energy on July 12, Go emphasized the urgency of finding a solution to Davao del Norte's power supply outages. He also appealed to the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative to provide immediate solutions to the problem.

Earlier, Go expressed his dismay and concern over the unresolved power outages in Davao del Norte, which led to the damage of critical medical equipment in the region's health facilities.

Two Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, four computerized