Small business owners in Samal lament how electricity firm's woes have affected their livelihood

MANILA, Philippines — The failure of Northern Davao Electric Cooperative Inc. (NORDECO) to address the long-running problem on frequent brownouts in Garden City of Samal Island has interrupted the livelihood of the small businesses in the area.

An eatery owner in Samal said they have been experiencing rounds of brownouts that last for three to five hours a day, causing spoilage of meat in the freezer.

"Three times a day mag brownout — umaga, tanghali hanggang mag-gabi. May mga freezer kami na may lamang karne para sa karinderia, bumabaho na," Juvy Bulayjuntilla said.

Kitchen appliances have also been damaged due to power outages of the electricity, Bulayjuntilla added.

"Dalawa ang freezer dito; [ngayon] isa na lang ang gumagana dahil sa laging off-on, on-off, mamaya iilaw tapos ma-off na naman. Ganyan ang nangyayari; andaming nagrereklamo," she added.

Small and medium business owners in the area have been suffering from various inconveniences, from broken appliances to frequent spoilage of food, which result to a much more limited capital and often lead them to borrow money from individuals and lending companies.

Bulayjuntilla also said that she had to fire three of her eight employees as the profit wasn’t sufficient enough to cover their salaries since the eatery couldn’t sustain full operations caused by power outages.

Like other businesses in the area, Bulayjuntilla needs to trim down her operational costs in order to survive. 

Bulayjuntilla urges the government to help them have a decent supply of electricity for their livelihood to improve.

On the other hand, the business owner also shared a devastating story caused by the power outage. According to her, two people who had asthma died because they weren’t able to use a nebulizer because there was no electricity at that time to power the machine. The power shutdown sometimes lasted for three consecutive days. 

"Dalawa silang namatay dahil walang kuryente at hinika. Tapos nag-brownout [ng] three days. Namatay siya kasi inatake ng hika tapos brownout, hindi siya naka-saksak [ng nebulizer]," she recounted.

"Noon ngang lamay [nung namatay], last vigil na, five hours walang kuryente, nandyan ang patay pati ang nagdadasal," the resident added.

Residents of Samal Island have been voicing their concerns regarding the inefficient service of NORDECO that distracts their livelihood and everyday lives. 

Recently, the Tagum Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., led by Aerol Conde, staged a motorcade-rally joined by 3,000 people. The event culminated at the Rotary Park in Barangay Magugpo Poblacion. 

The rally marked the first time the province’s business community organized an open protest to express its dismay over the substandard services and high power rates being given to its consumers, which is around Php7 higher as compared to its regional peers. 

“The power rates of NORDECO are no longer bearable, both for the business community and the ordinary people,” Conde said. 

Tagum business owners joined the call of the residents in Samal Island to replace NORDECO for charging high power rates to its consumers in Davao de Oro and some parts of Davao del Norte.  

Meanwhile, Davao Regional Medical Center Department of Surgery Chairman Dr. Bernardo Ang, one of those who attended the rally in Tagum, complained against the power outages during surgeries, stressing that if a patient dies under such circumstance, NORDECO should be held responsible.