Energy stakeholders told to assess facilities amid rains, quake

MANILA – Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi has directed stakeholders in the energy sector to assess their facilities to see if they have been damaged by heavy monsoon rains and the magnitude 6.6 earthquake that hit parts of Luzon early Saturday.

“Ramdan natin ang pagkabahala ng lahat sa tila sunud-sunod na unos habang tayo ay nasa kalagitnaan ng pandemya (We feel everyone’s distress in what seems to be a series of natural disasters while we are in the middle of a pandemic),” Cusi said in a statement.

He added that the DOE will continue to work with the energy family to assess and respond to the possible impacts of heavy rainfall and earthquake on energy infrastructure.

As of 9 a.m., the DOE said energy stakeholders reported that their facilities have been slightly damaged.

“The National Power Corporation (NPC) is expected to hand-in their report on dams and NPC-SPUG (Small Power Utilities Group),” it added.

The agency said it will also issue Task Force on Energy Resiliency (TFER) situation reports from time to time.

The tremor, reported at 4:49 a.m., was tectonic in origin, which means there was a movement in the Earth’s crust.

It was immediately followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock at 4:56 a.m.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported 30 aftershocks as of 10:45 a.m., the majority of which was at magnitude 2.

It initially reported that the quake was at a magnitude of 6.7 but later reduced it to magnitude 6.6.

Intensity V was felt in Calapan City and Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro; Sablayan and Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro; and Tagaytay City, Carmona, and Dasmariñas City, Cavite.

Intensity IV was recorded in Manila, Marikina City, Makati City, Taguig City, Quezon City, Pasay City, Valenzuela City, Tagaytay City in Cavite, San Mateo in Rizal, and Batangas City and Talisay City in Batangas.

Intensity III was registered in Pasig City and San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said heavy to intense with at times torrential rains will prevail over Zambales and Bataan in the next 24 hours due to the southwest monsoon.

Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Abra, Benguet, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, and Mindoro provinces will experience moderate to heavy with at times intense rains.

Light to moderate with at times heavy rains will also affect Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, the rest of Cordillera Administrative Region, Marinduque, Romblon, and Northern Palawan, including Calamian Islands.