CEBU CITY-The Regional Development Council (RDC) 7 is seeking a declaration of a State of Power Emergency in Central Visayas as recurring rotational brownouts and Red and Yellow Alert conditions continue to affect the Visayas Grid.
The request was approved during the RDC 7’s Third-Quarter full council meeting at Carcar City Hall on September 30, chaired by Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro.
The council is asking the Office of the President, upon the recommendation of the Department of Energy (DOE), to declare the power emergency in response to the region’s supply deficiency.
The proposed declaration is intended to accelerate measures to address the immediate power shortfall, while facilitating the development and expansion of generation facilities.
It is also expected to help speed up priority transmission and substation projects of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) in the Visayas.
The Cebu provincial government is also pursuing local measures to augment energy supply.
Among these is the proposed installation of solar panels in barangay centers, which has been included among the services that barangay governments may access.
Baricuatro said addressing basic needs remains central to the region’s development agenda, particularly in Cebu and Bohol.
‘We need to build and strengthen our beloved SugBohol from the ground up. Hence, in the Province of Cebu, we are expanding bulk water service operations, building people’s markets, and advancing province-wide healthcare integration, with other Cebu LGUs already on board,’ Baricuatro said in her speech.
Beyond the power situation, the RDC 7 endorsed and advanced several infrastructure initiatives covering flood management, roads, ports and public transport.
Feasibility studies for dams along eight major rivers, as well as the updating of the Metro Cebu Flood Control Master Plan, have been incorporated into the 2027 National Expenditure Program.
The council also included the proposed Consolacion-Liloan Bypass Road in the Central Visayas Regional Development Investment Program and endorsed it to the Economy and Development Council-Investment Coordination Committee.
In Bohol, the RDC endorsed the proposed Manga Fish Port in Tagbilaran City for implementation by the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority.
Meanwhile, Carcar City Mayor Patrick Barcenas presented the proposed P5-billion Carcar City Port Development Project, seeking financial assistance for the undertaking.
The RDC 7 Infrastructure Development Committee Secretariat said it would assist in facilitating potential funding and other support, subject to the submission of required documents by the city government.
The council also called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to provide a definite timeline for identifying alternative financing to complete the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) Project after the partial cancellation of its World Bank loan.
The DOTr will likewise be asked to clarify arrangements for the maintenance and security of facilities constructed under Package 1 of the CBRT.