Utility companies in Cebu assured local officials Wednesday that power, water, and telecommunications facilities would be fully restored by Friday, 7 November following damages caused by typhoon “Tino.”
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival met with officials from key service providers, including Visayan Electric, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Cebu Electric Cooperative III (Cebeco III), Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), Globe Telecom and PLDT/Smart, for an update on ongoing restoration efforts.
Baricuatro stressed that restoring power remains the most urgent need, as its availability is critical for the full operation of both communication networks and water systems.
For the power sector, Visayan Electric aims for 100 percent restoration by 7 November.
Restoration figures varied widely, with San Fernando at 99 percent restored, the City of Naga at 91 percent, Minglanilla at 85 percent, Talisay City at 44 percent, Mandaue City at 46 percent and Cebu City at 42 percent.
Officials noted the Liloan and Consolacion substations were either flooded or destroyed. NGCP reported that 45 percent of power has already been restored, with transmission line restoration ongoing.
Meantime, Cebeco III reported power restored in three local government units, representing 14 percent of its coverage, with a target of full restoration by Saturday and Archival stated that overall power restoration in Cebu City is around 40 percent.
For the water services, MCWD is operating at 40 percent capacity, with full restoration heavily dependent on power availability. Current water production is 109,000 cubic meters, down significantly from its normal daily output of 275,000 cu.m.
MCWD is currently delivering 37,500 cubic meters daily to Northern Cebu Bulk Water areas, including parts of Compostela, Liloan, Consolacion, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City and Cebu City.
Archival confirmed that 40 percent of water service has been restored in Cebu City, with MCWD targeting full restoration by 7 November.
Meantime, connectivity in Cebu City is approximately 50 percent restored. Globe Telecom targets 90 percent restoration in two to three days after deploying generator sets. Smart/PLDT continues restoration efforts, acknowledging challenges from Mandaue City to Daanbantayan, with restoration heavily dependent on power availability.
In other developments, over 100 families affected by “Tino” took safe refuge in modular housing units at the Bayanihan Village in San Remigio town, Cebu, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) reported.
DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling confirmed that the modular housing units (MHUs) in Bayanihan Village, located in Barangay Poblacion, were used during the preemptive evacuation ordered by the local government.
“This proves the usefulness of our MHUs in the Bayanihan Villages during calamities. Our Cebuano countrymen used them during the earthquake, and now because of the typhoon,” the DHSUD chief said.
Aliling added that the agency continues to follow President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to establish Bayanihan Villages in disaster-hit areas to ensure the safety of residents.