Davao del Norte Board Member and former Samal City Mayor Al David Uy revealed on Tuesday that the Davao Light and Power Company (Davao Light) has committed to lay down the submarine cable that would connect Davao to Samal in October this year.
Davao Light held a ceremonial installation of the first distribution pole during the site launch of the 22MVA digital substation and warehouse/stockyard facilities in Barangay Magugpo, Tagum City, Davao del Norte signifying the imminent availability of the power utility’s services in the First District of the province and the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS).
“Nalipay ko na naa na gyud, first step in Tagum and hopefully, the people from Davao Light, giingnan ko nila na in October this year, naa pud himoon nga sama ani nga activity for the submarine cable that would connect mainland Davao to Samal,” Uy said.
Uy explained that since 2014, Samal has been using modular diesel-fired generator sets to generate electricity.
“Kung wala ang mainland mu-subsidize sa Samal, ang per kilowatt namo didto muabot ug P20 per kilowatt ang bayrunon namo. Just imagine for the last decade gensets katong mga dagko na generator ang nagapadagan sa Samal. Wala mi substation didto mao nang kung matingala mo ang Samal daghan kaayo nagtukod didto na mga appliance store kay sige man kaguba ang amoang appliances,” he said.
He added that no investors are interested in investing in Samal, such as healthcare facilities like a hospital and dialysis center, due to power woes.
“Mao na ang mga dialysis patients namo magsige ug tabok. Sige mi ug invite ug mga investors to construct a tertiary hospital pero wala tungod sa dili maayo ang kuryente,” he said.
Uy emphasized that the entry of Davao Light in Davao del Norte is a dream come true for the Samaleños.
“Finally, after many years masolusyunan na ang dugay na problema and hopefully, madungog gihapon ang gusto sa katawhan kay mao gyud ni ang importante sa Samal ang tulay, and kuryente, and once mahatag ni ang kuryente it would solve a lot of problems, number one ang tubig – kabalo ta sa Samal pag walay kuryente, walay tubig and very reliable ang mga water pumps namo and second ang amoang internet, sa Samal kung mag brown out walay kuryente wala pud mi internet. Ana ka vital ang kuryente sa Samal and with this, happenings right now, hopefully mao na ni ang long term solution sa dugay na namong problema sa kuryente sa Samal,” Uy explained.
The Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (NORDECO), which is currently supplying electricity to Samal, is undertaking a P1.1 billion submarine cable project to improve the power supply on Samal Island.
This initiative includes installing a fresh 69kV underwater cable from Pantukan to Samal Island, intended to resolve power interruptions and resolve the rising demand on the island.
According to NORDECO, the project is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2023.
However, at present, no submarine cable has yet been established.
“Katong gisaad sa NORDECo nga submarine cable hangtod ron ambot asa na. Hangtod ron kanang gipanghambog nila nga gikan Pantukan, hangtod ron ambot asa na,” Uy said.
