OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines – The P1-billion modernization of this city’s power distribution system has begun and will end power outages within two months.
In a statement, Mayor James Gordon Jr. said that with the privatization of the city government-run power distributor, the Public Utility Department (PUD), the power outages “will be a thing of the past.â€
Gordon said more investors would now be attracted to Olongapo “because we will have a stable power supply and a tremendous improvement in the system.â€
Since President Aquino signed Republic Act 10373 allowing the Olongapo Electricity Distribution Co. (OEDC) to take over the PUD’s function, Gordon said the power rehabilitation program “has been underway and despite the best efforts of my political detractors, the benefits of the privatization of the PUD will soon be obvious to everyone in Olongapo.â€
OEDC president Jose Abaya said the transition period has enabled his firm to carry out much-needed changes in the city’s power distribution system, although it has also resulted in power outages in previous months.