Palace assures the voters that there will be no power outage during elections.
Malacañang palace assured the people that there would be no power interruption in elections, especially a week before and after May 9. The palace said it despite the decreasing power reserve amid the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.
In a press conference with the press and GMA News, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said that the aim of Department of Energy (DOE) is to make sure that there will be no power outage during election time.
“Ang objective ng DOE ay talagang zero disruption one week before and one week after May 9. ‘Yun ang talagang ideal situation na kanilang nilalayong matamo,” he said.
Coloma issued the statement after National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said that Luzon and Mindano is currently on red alert status. This means that the energy is no longer enough to meet the demand.
Coloma also said that the demand for energy is going higher as the heat index is rising. According to him, the DOE is making sure that maintenance works are closely monitored, so there will be no power interruption in the national and local elections.
The palace also appealed to consumers to lessen their use of electricity or do other necessary measures to conserve energy.
“Kapag medyo malamig-lamig na at hindi ganun kainit, siguro maaring magbawas ng consumption ng mga appliances at kung meron pang ibang conservation measures,” he added.
Presidential and vice presidential elections is also schedule on May 9, 2016. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) can also cast their votes in selected Philippine foreign posts.