GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) – The South Cotabato Electric Cooperative II (Socoteco II) announced that there is still no letting up with rotational brown-outs as revised schedule is now set at six-hour basis and twice daily starting on May 17.

Socoteco II officers said this is also to compensate for the “no-brownout scheme” during the past five days since Saturday due to the scheduled elections.

It was learned that the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (GSCCI) has raised concern with the current set-up of three-hour rotational brown-out, citing difficulty in maintaining their equipment and manpower.

Last May 8, during a dialogue with Socoteco II executives, they presented the proposal to set rotational brown-out at six hours, twice per day, the Socoteco II, in a statement said.

To compensate the longer brown-out in one setting for residential customers, GSCCI stated that they will get power from Socoteco II only for 12 hours daily.

It said that any residual supply for the day will automatically be prioritized to residential customers.

It was gathered that all customer types have equal hours of “on” and “off” in the schedule.

But Socoteco II stressed that actual implementation varies depending upon the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP’s) load drop advisories.

Socoteco II franchise area is still experiencing nine to 12 hours power curtailment from the National Power Corporation (NPC) and NGCP.

The NPC and NGCP, power generation company, and transmission company, respectively, have yet to give the actual power situation in Mindanao considering that heavy rains were already experienced towards the end of April.