Spike in road mishaps due to power outages?

CEBU, Philippines - Blame it on the brownouts or it could simply be the lack of road courtesy that several minor vehicular mishaps were reported yesterday as longer power outages took place in Cebu City.

The City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) said that 26 vehicular accidents were recorded from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. yesterday in various areas around the city.

Jennifer Sarono, radio control operator of CITOM, said from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. there were 17 accidents reported.

From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. yesterday there were nine more incidents that took place in the busy intersections.

One reason believed to be the cause of the mishaps is that most of the traffic signal lights did not function properly because of the power outages.

A source said that on other days, there is an average of 10 to 15 mishaps recorded.

CITOM was able to deploy its personnel in some areas only as it lacks personnel.

“Lisud g’yud kaayo kon walay mo-traffic kay mag-ilogay ra ang mga drayber paglusot mao sa eskina. Mosamot kasamok ug resulta dali ra kaayo ang binag-iray sa mga sakyanan,” said PUJ driver Leoncio Codilla.

 Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) corporate communications manager Edna Inocando said the rotation brownouts implemented by the Visayan Electric Company has affected more than half of their 114 water pumps.

Inocando said more than half of their 239,000 consumers had experienced lack of water yesterday.

She even said that one of their pumps in barangay Pardo had bogged down yesterday and they believed it was caused by the series of brownouts.

VECO’s corporate communications manager Ethel Natera explained that the duration of the rotation brownouts was extended by them to two hours yesterday due to huge power shortage of 320 megawatts in the Visayas grid.

Natera said the public can expect a relief of the series of rotation brownouts when the Cebu Energy Development Corporation (CEDC) in Toledo City will operate its other power plant next week. —/NLQ   (FREEMAN NEWS)