The whole island of Siargao, the country’s top surfing destination, has experienced total blackout for more than a week now after its underwater cable was reportedly damaged, Siargao Island Electric Cooperative (SIARELCO) general manager Sergio Dagooc said.
He claimed the underwater cable near Barangay Doña Helen in the island town of Socorro was discovered to have been damaged last April 1.
Dagooc, however, said local divers from Davao have already been dispatched by SIARELCO in the area to conduct inspection of how extensive the damaged is and immediately assess how the 9.32-kilometer long underwater cables will be repaired.
He estimated it may take weeks or months before power returns to normal in Siargao Island which is one of the top foreign tourists and surfers' destination in Mindanao if not in the country and the only one in Caraga Region.
The island has already been the second home of many foreign tourists.
Dagooc said the more than one week total blackout the island has experienced is separate from the scheduled five to seven hours daily brownouts the whole Mindanao is now experiencing.
Meanwhile, the regional office of the Commission on Elections in Caraga Region is worried that whole Siargao Island blackout may reach up to election day on May 10 or beyond that may affect the peaceful and credible conduct of local and national elections unless remedies are installed.
Comelec officials of the eight municipalities of Siargao Island suggested the installation of power generating sets in its total 140 polling precints scattered all over 112 barangays of the eight towns of the island.
Siargao Island towns are Burgos, Dapa, Del Carmen General Luna, Pilar, San Benito, San Isidro, Sta. Monica and Socorro. Siargao Island has a total 76,035 registered voters. (PNA)
LAP/Ben Serrano/mec
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