Whose to blame for brownouts preceding the ‘Dream Match’?

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

WHO should be blamed for the sudden power outage in Iloilo City prior to the “Dream Match” between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya Sunday morning?

 

The management of Panay Electric Co., the sole power distributor in the city, denied any responsibility for the two successive brownouts past 10am the other day.

 

Engr. Randy Pastolero, executive assistant to Peco president Miguel Cacho, said their substations and distribution lines did not experience any glitch hours before the match began.

 

What Peco noticed, Pastolero said, was the sudden disconnection of their substation linked to the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

 

Pastolero said the problem could have been with the Napocor facility or the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) connection.

 

“As far as Peco is concerned, we did not encounter any problem in our system. It could be connected to our providers,” Pastolero said.

 

Pastolero said he also received information that several areas covered by the three Iloilo Electric Cooperatives also suffered power outages at the same time the brownouts occurred in the city. 

 

In a statement, Transco management also denied experiencing any problem which led to the brownouts.

 

Transco said it was on normal operation Sunday and that it has not experienced any power interruption on said day.

 

“This is to clarify conflicting reports aired on radio stations regarding the real cause of power interruption in Iloilo City,” Transco said.

 

Panay Power Corp. (PPC) said the brownout was caused by external faults either from the TransCo and/or Peco transmission lines.

 

Engr. Adrian Moncada, Global Business Power Corp. assistant vice president, said PPC engines did not break down and all its feeders were back on-line at 10:56 am.  

 

Representatives from Peco, Napocor, Peco and Panay Power Corp. met yesterday to discuss the problem and prepare measures for the Holidays.

 

Pastolero said Peco does not want a repeat of the brownouts during the Christmas and New Year ’s Eve celebration last year.