NEA activates 24-hour power situation monitoring ahead of BSKE

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) is activating its 24-hour power situation monitoring to ensure the smooth conduct of the October 30, 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

In a statement on Thursday, the NEA said the agency, along with the 121 electric cooperatives (ECs) under its watch, will officially activate its round-the-clock electricity systems monitoring on October 27, 2023.

The agency said it held the dry-run of the 24-hour power system monitoring and reporting protocols on October 25, 2023, in compliance with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 10924 dated June 7, 2023, concerning the synchronized BSKE on October 30, 2023.

Under Comelec guidelines, NEA has been deputized and commissioned to “provide and maintain stable and continuous nationwide electric power requirements from the start of voting, until the termination or conclusion of [the] counting of votes, and the proclamation of the winning candidates.”

“In view of this, NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda organized the ‘Power Task Force Election 2023’ as early as August 29, 2023 in preparation for the upcoming polls,” the agency said.

Almeda has also instructed all ECs to ensure uninterrupted power supply throughout the election period.

The NEA stressed that all ECs were also directed to take the appropriate maintenance activities on their critical electricity network and non-network assets.

ECs were, likewise, advised to do an ocular inspection of their facilities in voting centers across their respective franchise areas.

“With or without incidents of power interruptions, reports shall be submitted,” the NEA chief said in a memo dated August 18, 2023.

“The ECs shall immediately report major incidents of power interruptions, which shall be included in the periodic reporting,” said Almeda.

The NEA said power situation reporting shall be done daily and submitted to the respective NEA Power Task Force Election 2023 teams using a format that includes details on the locations, substations affected, causes of the interruption, precincts affected, actions taken, date and time, among others.

The agency said members of its special task force include the following: Engineering Department (ED), Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (DRRMD), Total Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Department (TEREDD), Human Resources and Administration Department (HRAD), Corporate Communications and Social Marketing Office (CCSMO), Information Technology and Communication Services Department (ITCSD) and Finance Services Department (FSD). —Ted Cordero/ VAL, GMA Integrated News