GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 11 October) – The South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SOCOTECO II) pushed through Friday night with its first phase of pole relocation work, requiring an eight-hour power interruption, despite appeals from residents to postpone the activity following the twin earthquakes that struck Mindanao earlier in the day.
Sean Paul Gornez, a resident of Palm Woods Springs in Barangay Lagao, one of the areas affected by the outage, said it left them anxious.
“It’s very inefficient knowing we need to stay alert dahil sa lindol, tapos wala kuryente at mahina rin signal. Rarely kami makagamit ng internet. What if we need news updates about aftershocks or evacuation?” he told MindaNews.
(“It’s very inefficient knowing we need to stay alert because of the earthquakes, and then there’s no electricity and a weak signal. We rarely get to use the internet — what if we need news updates about aftershocks or evacuation?”)
Gornez said he understood the importance of the ongoing infrastructure work but felt the timing was insensitive to public safety concerns.
“Dapat i-prioritize muna ang well-being ng mga tao kaysa sa ganitong activity kasi need talaga ng kuryente para updated and informed ang mga tao sa next steps if mag-hit ulit ang lindol. Maybe next time, i-resched nila kung may ganitong events — lindol man yan or anything,” he said, adding that power in their area returned earlier than expected, around 1 a.m.
(“They should prioritize public well-being over this kind of activity because electricity is really needed to keep everyone updated and informed about what to do if another earthquake hits. Maybe next time they could reschedule such activities if there are events like earthquakes or similar emergencies.”)
The pole relocation proceeded just hours after two strong earthquakes off Davao Oriental prompted residents to stay alert for possible aftershocks.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported a magnitude 7.4 quake at 9:43 a.m., followed by a magnitude 6.9 tremor at 7:12 p.m.
Both were felt at Intensity IV in General Santos City and parts of South Cotabato – strong enough to be clearly felt indoors and cause hanging objects to sway, but not strong enough to cause damage, according to PHIVOLCS.
The outage, initially scheduled from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. but lasting about four hours in some areas, affected areas around General Santos Doctors Hospital, Robinsons Mall, and subdivisions in Barangay Lagao.
The relocation work forms part of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ Underpass and Interchanges Project along Mabuhay Road.
In an advisory posted Friday afternoon, the Public Safety Office–General Santos City said temporary road closures were implemented along affected sections and advised motorists to take alternate routes.
The office advised motorists “to take alternate routes and exercise extra caution when passing near the work site.”
Ahead of the scheduled outage, several netizens took to social media to urge SOCOTECO II to postpone the maintenance activity, citing ongoing aftershocks.
Commenting on an October 10 post by Gensan News Online, a local news blog that outlined the schedule for the power interruptions, resident Jether Z. Capillo appealed for a postponement.
“Sa karon nga panahon nga puno pa ug aftershocks, delikado gyud maggawas sa balay, labi na kung gabii. Unsaon nalang ang mga construction workers nga magtrabaho sa kangitngit, nga di nato kabalo kung kanus-a napud mubalik ang linog?” he wrote.
(“At this time, when there are still aftershocks, it is really dangerous to go out of the house, especially at night. What about the construction workers who have to work in the dark, when we don’t know when the earthquake will strike again?”)
Capillo urged the cooperative to prioritize public safety and reschedule the activity until conditions were more stable.
SOCOTECO II said in an earlier 5:45 p.m. advisory that its technical team had inspected all facilities following the morning quake and found “no troubles or abnormalities.”
The relocation activity continues today, October 11, with a ten-hour power interruption affecting portions of the City Hall Compound, Bulaong Terminal, and nearby commercial zones. A final round is set for Sunday, October 12, covering the same areas. ( Guia Rebollido/MindaNews )
