Electricity has slowly returned in Masbate province a week after it was battered by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Opong’ (international name: Bualoi).
A report from the Office of Civil Defense in Bicol (OCD 5) said that as of Saturday, October 4, power was restored to 85 percent of Masbate City, the provincial capital, but many areas in the province still have no electricity.
OCD Bicol Director Claudio Yucot said in a Viber message to the Inquirer that power restoration efforts were in full swing.
‘The Department of Energy’s Task Force Kapatid, with 30 teams, is on the ground to reinstall or erect 1,178 electric posts toppled by Opong,’ he said.
He said thousands of evacuees still staying in temporary shelters were also being assisted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is providing food packs.
In a radio interview over DZRH, Governor Richard Kho said on Saturday the province’s most urgent needs are potable water and electricity, but these are now being addressed with help from various government agencies.
‘We can’t say the exact date when power will be (fully) restored, but rest assured, all efforts are being exerted to speed up the process,’ Kho said.
Yucot added that all major roads in Masbate have been cleared of debris and are now passable to all vehicles.
The province, which has a population of 908,920 (2020 census) spread in one city and 20 municipalities, was hit hard by ‘Opong,’ which made two landfalls in the province early on September 26, hours after its first landfall in Policarpio, Eastern Samar at 11:30 p.m. on September 25.
Classes in all levels remained suspended in the province since as many as 600 classrooms were destroyed by the storm, affecting some 30,000 learners, the Department of Education in Bicol region earlier said.
Local authorities were still determining the total cost of damage to properties, agriculture and government facilities and infrastructure