Gatchalian warns of COVID-19 vaccine spoilage risk amid Luzon brownouts

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday expressed dismay over the rotational brownouts in Luzon, calling out the Department of Energy (DOE) and warning that COVID-19 vaccines are at risk of being spoiled.

“Nakakadismaya itong balitang ito dahil nung bago mag-summer at papasok na ang tag-init, nagkaroon tayo ng pagdinig at klaro doon sa pagdinig natin na binigyan tayo ng assurance ng DOE na hindi magkakaroon ng brownout, at nasabi nga namin na dapat walang brownout dahil ngayong Hunyo darating ang pinakamalaking bilang ng vaccine,” Gatchalian said in a Dobol B TV interview.

[We are dismayed by this development because before the hot season began, the Department of Energy assured us that there would be no brownouts—and we said there should be no brownouts as the bulk of the vaccine supply will arrive in June.]

Without the cold storage facilities for the COVID-19 vaccines, Gatchalian said, the jabs could spoil.

“Kapag inilagay lang sa hindi malamig na lugar ang vaccine, talagang nabubulok siya kaya nagtataka kami dahil binigyan tayo ng assurance pero ngayon nakikita natin ang pag-brownout sa iba't ibang parte ng bansa,” the Senate energy panel chairman said.

[If we put these vaccines in a place that does not meet their temperature requirement, they will spoil. That is why we are wondering because the DOE has given us an assurance yet brownouts are occurring in various parts of the country.]

“Hindi katanggap-tanggap sa atin yan dahil kung nagbigay sila ng assurance dapat panindigan nila hanggang huli na hindi tayo magkakaroon ng brownout,” he added.

[This is unacceptable because they already gave an assurance and they should stick with it until the end.]

At a Palace briefing on Tuesday, testing czar Vince Dizon said that no vaccines have been affected by the power outages yet.

In a hearing in April, Energy Power Industry Management Bureau Director Mario Marasigan old the Senate Energy committee that there would be no power outages in Luzon in the months of April, May, and June.

In a virtual press conference, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Tuesday that electricity consumers in Luzon may expect rotational brownouts to be implemented for the entire first week of June.

The rotational brownouts were due to the thin power supply resulting from planned and unplanned outages of several power plants

NGCP earlier placed the Luzon Grid under Yellow Alert from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.; and Red Alert from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., indicating that there is zero ancillary services or a generation deficiency exists. — BM, GMA News