Google map of Basilan Island province.
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Basilan Lone District Rep. Mujiv Hataman has called for a congressional inquiry on the management and operations of Basilan Electric Cooperative (Baselco) for its failure to address perennial power outages.
Basilan is currently experiencing unscheduled power outages ranging from five to seven times daily, Hataman said.
Hataman said he has already conferred with Department of Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla to convene a meeting with the National Electrification Administration and the National Power Corporation (Napocor) to sort out the problems besetting the Baselco operations.
“The congressional inquiry will follow after the meeting of tripartite power agencies,” Hataman said in a statement Monday, without mentioning the specific date of the inquiry.
He noted that Baselco has blamed the power outages on the technical shutdown of the two power generators of Napocor and private firm Aggreko due to overload.
Hataman said he has been trying to solve the power crisis in Basilan since he was the governor of the then-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
During the Aug. 27 stakeholders’ forum last year, Hataman managed to get the commitment of the Department of Budget and Management for the release of Napocor's PHP1.3 billion unused fund to pay its debts amounting to PHP1.2 billion to diesel supplier Petron.
Baselco is presently classified as a large cooperative and categorized as class “D” or ailing electric cooperative.
It was formally registered as the 62nd electric cooperative in the country on May 24, 1975. (PNA)
