Generators eyed to light up Siargao, Bucas Grande islands

Power distributors in Surigao are eyeing acquiring modular generator sets for two major tourist destinations there, a Mindanao news site reported Friday.

The generators are particularly being considered for Siargao Island and Bucas Grande which have been experiencing two to three hours of brownouts daily, MindaNews reported.

“This will be used for peak hours to meet the power demand,” Siargao Island Electric Cooperative Inc. general manager Sergio Dagooc said in the report.

Dagooc said the brownouts have been affecting several villages in the islands as Siarelco has a deficit of 1.2 megawatts. He said they will need two modular generator sets that can supply at least two megawatts.

But he said Siarelco may prioritize tourist areas in the two islands.

“We can put the lights out in some villages to make sure these tourist areas which bring economic value to island residents may still have power. But if we will be told by National Grid Power Corporation to curtail our power load, we will do so and this will affect towns,” he said.

MindaNews quoted local surfer Prudencio Meras as saying most tourists "would get pissed off when the power is out.”

The report also quoted some operators of tourism-related businesses as being worried over the power situation because the gas- and diesel-fed generator sets for resorts are costly to maintain and expensive to run. — Joel Locsin/JDS, GMA News