Visayas, Mindanao traders assured of gov't action vs brownouts

Malacañang on Sunday reassured traders in the Visayas and Mindanao of government action to address the problems caused by two- to four-hour brownouts there. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras has been meeting with electric cooperatives and will discuss proposed solutions with lawmakers. “In two to three weeks time makikipag-meet si Sec. Almendras with Mindanao lawmakers to explain the situation and his proposed solution," she said on government-run dzRB radio. She indicated some of the proposed solutions may involve the building of hydro power plants. Valte said Almendras also has discussed short-term solutions with the electric cooperatives as well as utilities distributors but declined to comment further. Also, she declined to say how much longer these brownouts will last. “We will defer to Sec. Almendras how long these brownouts will last,” she said. — LBG, GMA News