City Councilor Elgin Damasco denied the accusation made by Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) Chairman Jeffrey Tan-Enriga that he is unreliant as the chairman of the city legislature’s Committee on Energy.
During PALECO’s press conference on November 13, 2021 at the Aziza Hotel, Enriga emotionally commented that Damasco has not done his job as Chairman of the Committee on Energy to help the local electric distributor in solving the brownouts and blackouts that have plagued the island.
“Yun nga ang question. Chairman siya [City Councilor Elgin Damasco] ng committee on energy, ano ang naitulong niya…? Ngayon, pinakita namin ‘yung tinatanggap namin na per diem na sinasabi niyang suweldo namin. Gusto namin ipakita niya ‘yung suweldo na tinatanggap niya sa city government. Magkano? Anong performance output na ginawa niya sa isang termino niya?” said Enriga.
Damasco denied the innuendo of not being able to fulfill his duty as the head of the energy committee. He stated, looking back, that he asked PALECO to set a time and date to meet and explain the hardships it is facing in the distribution of power throughout the city but he said that the chairman of PALECO was a no show.
“Hindi po totoo yan…nung ako po ay nagsalita rito, hindi ba’t nakiusap ako sa kaniya sa zoom… Sabi ko sa kaniya ‘Puwede ba mag-usap tayo face-to-face, harap-harapan? Hindi tayo mag-aaway’ sabi ko sa kaniya. Kung pupuwede face-to-face, magharap tayo para malaman namin kung ano problem ninyo at kung papaano kami makakatulong sa city government,” said Damasco.
“…Sila ang nagbigay ng oras, petsa at araw na magme-meet ang buong council with Chairman Enriga. Si Chairman Enriga mismo, ano sabi niya sa sulat nila? ‘Sorry po, hindi pala ako available dahil may zoom meeting pala akonsa Association of Southern Tagalog Electric Cooperative. Biruin mo yan? Mas inuna niya pa problema ng ibang electric cooperative kaysa pagtuunan ng pansin ang problema ng sarili nating kooperatiba. Tapos sasabihin niya ngayon, hindi niya naramdaman?” added Damasco.
The electricity problem has been heavily talked about for the past few years especially when President Duterte visited Palawan in 2018 and learned the frequent partial and full blackouts the residents are experiencing.
He warned PALECO to solve the problem or he will be forced to find solutions such as what he said during his last visit on November 4, 2021, which was the national government taking over or even privatizing the electric distribution.
PALECO explained during their press conference that there are other factors involved in the blackouts such as problems in the transmission and generation sectors and that even if privatized, it will still continue to happen.
PALECO has since released and are persuading member consumers to sign their petition disagreeing with the national government taking over or privatization of the electric distribution in the city and province of Palawan.