GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 28 August) — Reminiscent of a fantasy movie, a smaller power client came to the rescue of its bigger supplier, saving consumers and their towns from possible economic disaster.
The Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative (Sukelco) on Thursday, August 25, bought 120,000 liters of diesel fuel, loaded it in six tanker trucks that travelled almost six hours at night, reaching their destination just in the nick of time.
Their last stop — the Kalamansig Diesel Power Plant (KDPP) of the National Power Corporation – Small Power Utility Group (Napocor-SPUG), which was just waiting for its diesel fuel to run out that day and plunge into darkness the coastal towns of Kalamansig, Lebak and portions of Palimbang which have a combined population of 150,000.
Sukelco paid P20-million to Petron Corporation for the fuel that was transported in six tanker trucks from the oil firm’s depot in Bawing, this city, to Kalamansig town, more than 200 kilometers away.
Sukelco Area 3 manager Francisco Torres said they cannot afford to have their consumers suffer from the impending power blackout because of Napocor-SPUG running low on fuel.
The P20 million spent by Sukelco for fuel will be charged as advance payment of the cooperative for its bills with Napocor-SPUG.
The fuel may last long enough until Napocor SPUG and the national government can find means to settle the firm’s enormous debt with Petron.
A power blackout in Kalamansig, Lebak and Palimbang spells disaster in business and economy, not to mention the misery it will bring to people in these towns, Torres said.
Palimbang mayor Mayor Joenime Kapina lamented on the sorry state of electricity supply in their town. “Apektado ang ekonomiya at pagnenegosyo ng mga tao sa amin,” he said.
Kapina said an investor planned to build an ice plant in their town but backed out because of the miserable state of power supply.
On normal days, Sukelco buys the electricity generated by KDPP and sells this to its member consumers in the three towns, which are outside of the main Mindanao power grid.
But in recent days, Lebak and Kalamansig residents have complained of frequent outages as the power provider struggles with their low diesel supply, forcing them to adopt 12-hour electricity load-shedding schemes in order to stretch their fuel stock.
Napocor- SPUG vice president Larry Sabellina said the move was necessary to stretch the use of their remaining fuel stocks.
The worst came when Petron refused to deliver diesel to Napocor-SPUG unless it paid its outstanding balance that has ballooned to P1.2 billion. The amount covers unpaid fuel deliveries in all Napocor-SPUG plants nationwide.
Sabellina bared in a memorandum that in their talks with Petron executives on August 22, the oil firm refused to accept an initial P250 million payment and put on hold deliveries to Napocor-SPUG plants in Mindanao and Luzon until the bill is settled.
The situation drew suspicions of corruption and questions from consumers, wondering why Napocor-SPUG incurred such an enormous amount of unpaid fuel bills.
Sukelco, in a primer posted on its social media page, said the situation is a result of the sudden rise in fuel prices borne by the fighting in Ukraine which was not anticipated.
The Sukelco social media explainer stated that Napocor-SPUG’s fuel consumption for 2022 was bid out in 2021 and budgeted at the diesel price then of P55 per liter. The Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February and diesel prices soared to as much as P90 a liter.
A Napocor-SPUG official said they tried to ask for a supplemental budget.
Sukelco general manager Claudia Pondales brought the matter to Malacanang, seeking the “quick intervention” of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to avert the power crisis confronting their service area. They are still awaiting word from the palace, a Sukelco source said.
The P1.2 billion does not only cover the consumption of KDPP but of other Napocor-SPUG power plants in the country, like those in Dinagat Island, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-tawi and in Luzon. (Rommel G. Rebollido / MindaNews)
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