ENERGIZED. Power restoration in Southern Leyte in this Feb. 1, 2021 photo. Power has been fully restored in all Southern Leyte villages 226 days after Typhoon Odette ravaged the province, a local electric cooperative reported on Wednesday (August 3, 2022).(Photo courtesy of Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative) TACLOBAN CITY - Power has been fully restored in all Southern Leyte villages some 226 days after Typhoon Odette ravaged the province, a local electric cooperative reported on Wednesday. The Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco) completed the power restoration on July 30 as it energized the last of the 503 villages that experienced power outages after the Dec. 16, 2021 typhoon. "Olisihan village in Bontoc town is the last community that we have energized. It was a big challenge since the area is about 20 kilometers from the highway and our linemen had to erect about 100 poles in four villages to complete the work," Soleco general manager Jonathan Empeno said. Limi
POWER DOWN. Linemen from Leyte help repair facilities damaged by Typhoon Odette in Bontoc, Southern Leyte in this May 18, 2022 photo. The Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco) is eyeing to restore power by next month to the remaining 71 villages badly hit by the destructive typhoon five months ago.(Photo courtesy of Soleco) TACLOBAN CITY - The Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco) is eyeing to restore power by next month to the remaining 71 villages badly hit by Typhoon Odette five months ago. Soleco general manager Jonathan Empeno said in a phone interview Thursday that limited personnel and lack of materials have been hampering efforts to bring back electricity in the past five months of restoration activities. Electricity has been restored in only 432 out of 503 villages in Southern Leyte after more than five months of the power outage caused by "Odette". Soleco reported that as of March, some 90,527 houses and establishments have been energized out of the 10
VOTING. Voters waiting for their turn to scan their ballot in a vote-counting machine in Maasin City, Southern Leyte on Monday (May 9, 2022). At least 74 villages in Southern Leyte are using standby generators to ensure uninterrupted voting in communities hit by Typhoon Odette.(Photo courtesy of Dahlia Orit) TACLOBAN CITY - At least 74 villages in Southern Leyte are using generators and solar lamps to ensure uninterrupted voting in communities hit by Typhoon Odette, a local power cooperative reported on Monday. Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco) Jonathan Empeno said they made sure of the availability of standby generators in villages where linemen are still working to restore facilities damaged by the destructive typhoon late last year. "Village officials provided the generators and we distributed solar lights from the Department of Energy. All these efforts are in coordination with the Commission on Elections," Empeno said in a phone interview. These villages are i
ONGOING REPAIR. Linemen from Samar are joined by villagers in Maasin City as they work for the restoration of power in some parts of the city more than four months after Typhoon Odette battered the province. Electricity has been restored in only 386 out of 500 villages in Southern Leyte, as of April 27, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative) TACLOBAN CITY - Restoration of power in all villages in the province of Southern Leyte battered by Typhoon Odette last December is eyed by end of May. Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco) general manager Jonathan Empeno said on Thursday that limited personnel and lack of materials have been hampering efforts to bring back electricity in the past four months of restoration activities. "We hope to energize all the 500 villages by the end of May. Only about 100 linemen are working to restore power from our electric cooperative, our contractors, and a team from South Cotabato," Empeno told the Philippine News Ag