SITUATION BRIEFING. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. engages local chief executives of Occidental Mindoro and key Cabinet members in a discussion in Barangay San Roque, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on Tuesday (April 23, 2024). The discussions revolved around ways to address the effects of El Niño and other local concerns. (Presidential Communications Office photo)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sees the connection of Mindoro provinces to the grid through a submarine cable as the “long-term solution” to their electricity supply concerns.
In a media interview in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on Tueday, Marcos talked about the fastest and best solution to the power woes in the Mindoro island provinces.
The President said the utilization of solar energy is the fastest solution to the power issue on the island, which could be complemented by other power sources such as wind, hydro, and geothermal.
“Pero ang sa Mindoro, both Oriental and Occidental, ang long-term solution is ‘yung submarine cable para makabit na sa grid. Dahil ‘yun ang problema dito. Hindi pa nakakabit sa grid (But in Mindoro, both for Oriental and Occidental, the long-term solution is the submarine cable to be connected to the grid. Because that's the problem here, they are not yet connected to the grid),” Marcos said.
“So, naglalagay na tayo ng submarine cable para dito specifically sa Mindoro (So, we are putting a submarine cable for this, specifically in Mindoro),” he added.
In a situation briefing on the effects of drought to the agriculture sector in Occidental Mindoro, Vice Governor Diana Tayag raised the problem on electricity and sought the national government’s assistance to address what she called a “power crisis” in the province.
“Apektado po ng problemang ito ang agricultural sector. Mahalaga po ito sapagkat ang maayos na supply ng kuryente ay siyang susi para ang mga magsasaka naming. Ma-capture ang full value po ng kanilang produkto (This problem affects the agricultural sector. It is important because sufficient supply of electricity is the key for our farmers, to capture the full value of their products),” she said.
The President assured that the government is working to address tripping in power plants and substations to prevent power interruptions, as well as the installation of more cables to connect the province to other areas. (PNA)
