Samelco 1 readies contingency plan to ensure brown-out free polls

CALBAYOG CITY -- Samar 1 Electric Cooperative (Samelco 1) laid up its contingency plan to ensure no
power interruption before and during Monday’s elections and until proclamation of winning candidates.

Samelco 1 general manager Sandy Montero said that Task Force Halalan 2016 was created to ensure delivery of reliable, efficient round the clock service during “protected time” to secure substations, distribution lines and power structures, to effectively and productively carry out maintenance tasks and respond accordingly to urgent, emergency call and requests as needed.

Weeks before the elections, the power distribution firm utility has implemented preventive maintenance maintenance in its three substations – Capoocan, Palanas-Cara and San Agustin.

They also conducted clearing overhead and under brushing, repair leaning poles and critical lines, line patrol of the whole coverage area. Said activities were implemented in the whole coverage area of Samelco 1 including the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) in the island towns of Sto. Nino, Almagro and Tagapul-an.

“We inspected the schools that will be used as polling centers and made sure that power lines are in place and in good condition to avoid power interruptions that will disrupt the conduct of elections.” Montero said.

Starting Sunday, all SAMELCO 1 personnel, especially their linemen in the three substations and SPUG in the island towns will be on standby.

Montero said that service vehicles will also be on standby for monitoring and to respond to calls in case there is an emergency.

Meanwhile, Montero said that despite all these preparations, still they cannot assure that power interruptions will be avoided during the conduct of elections.

“We ask for the cooperation of our consumers, the general public to please avoid activities like cutting of trees or ‘kaingin’ that may interrupt our power supply,” Engr. Montero said.

Samelco 1 is servicing the areas of Calbayog City, Gandara, Matuguinao, Pagsanghan, San Jorge, Sta. Margarita, Tarangnan and the island towns of Sto. Nino, Tagapul-an and Almagro in Samar province. (PNA)