Manila: An official of the Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday reminded businesses about the price freeze in areas that have declared a state of calamity. 'Alam naman po natin kapag ang isang lugar po ay nagkaroon ng deklarasyon ng state of calamity, dapat po magkakaroon po tayo ng price freeze - hindi pupuwedeng itaas ang presyo ng LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) lalong-lalo na sa household sa loob ng labinlimang araw (We know that if a state of calamity has been declared there should be a price freeze - price of LPG cannot be increased especially for households, within 15 days),' Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan said during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program over PTV4.
According to Philippines News Agency, several municipalities and cities in Pangasinan, Antique, and Metro Manila have declared a state of calamity as these areas have been inundated since over the weekend. On Tuesday, the province of Cavite, Quezon City, and Calumpit, Bulacan also declared a state of calamity. Marasigan assured the public of the government's resolve to address the impact of the continuous rains brought about by the storms since last week and the enhanced southwest monsoon.
He mentioned that the inter-agency Energy Resilience Task Force had a meeting on Tuesday, where it was learned that some hospitals are flood-prone, emphasizing the need to inspect these facilities to ensure their power supply is secured. An evacuation center in Morong, Rizal also lost electricity, but the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has been engaged to provide a temporary generator set, he added.
Meanwhile, Meralco reported that less than 1 percent of its customers are without power as of 4 p.m. Wednesday. In a press release, the company stated that around 2,790 customers are still without power, located in areas that remain flooded, mostly in Cavite, Metro Manila, and Bulacan. 'As we near completion of our restoration activities, we would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding and assure them that we will continue to closely monitor the weather situation and respond to electricity-related incidents, while prioritizing safety,' Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said.
