Bus terminal head: Where’s our generator set?

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) management is asking for the whereabouts of the new generator set with a bigger capacity promised to be delivered to the facility to keep it up and running during a power outage.

CSBT head Joey Herrera said the management needs the genset following Saturday’s power loss at the terminal that spanned at least 12 hours and affected the terminal’s operations.

“Ato gyud siguraduhon nga (ang) bag-o nga gi-purchase nga 225 nga kVA generator set ma-deliver to ASAP,” he said.

The CSBT already has two generator sets, each with at least 125 kVA load, but both cannot fully give power to the terminal, including its emergency lights. The 225 kVA genset, Herrera said, can stand for about four to five hours.

Herrera said he did not know as to why the purchase of generator sets by the winning contractor had been delayed.

“Kung sa kalangay, wala ko kahibaw ngano. Basta ako nahibaw-an sa miaging usa ka buwan, di-a nay nakadaog sa bidding,” Herrera said.

The scheduled power loss at the terminal on Saturday ran from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Visayan Electric Company said it had to cut off power to set up a transformer for a new mall in the area.

Herrera, however, said that while power around CSBT went back at 4 p.m., the terminal still had no power supply until 8 p.m.

“Hinuon nibalik ang kurente (pag 4 p.m.) except sa terminal nga maoy nadaot. Ang giingon sa contractor nga gi-commission sa VECO, tulo man ka transformer ilahang gi-install. Ang usa (sa tulo) ka transformer nga para gyud sa terminal, mao pa gyud ang dautan,” he said.

Herrera said operations of the terminal went rough, and passengers had a difficult time dealing with the power loss, particularly during nighttime.

In a statement, VECO apologized for the power interruption.

“Barangay Sambag 1, where the Cebu South Bus Terminal is located, was scheduled to have power interruption on August 20, Sunday to facilitate the relocation of a transformer. This scheduled power outage was announced in local papers, online, as well as in different radio stations,” VECO’s statement read.

“While doing the necessary transformer relocation, VECO personnel on site encountered technical problems prompting them to request for a replacement transformer. This extended the power outage in the area,” it added.

“Power was restored at 3 a.m. August 21. VECO apologizes for the delay and the inconvenience this has caused to our customers in the Sambag 1,” the statement read further.  (FREEMAN)