Brownout again; Ferry to Cawit Port strayed off; and...who lied?

Last night, "M/V VERONICA", an old roro vessel plying the route Dalahican-Cawit strayed off its normal course near the western shores of Marinduque for about an hour as it headed towards Cawit port. An unscheduled brownout struck at 7:30 pm. The sea was almost pitch black save for illumination from fishermen's bancas who went out to sea after learning that the waters teemed with karis-karis, fry and dulong this time, a week after full moon.

It turned out that there was no way the ferry could have anchored while the port was enveloped in total darkness, thus the captain's decision to wait for electricity to return before docking.

But why M/V VERONICA"? "M/V REBECCA" that regularly plied this route is currently drydocked for maintenance.

And while posting this blog, something came up. Through the grapevine, this blogger was informed that the rental for the much ballyhooed Aggreko gensets shipped to Marinduque last October, and bruited about by grandstanding politicians as the final solution to the power crisis, ends today, January 7th.

Breathtaking audacity

We recall that someone had the breathtaking audacity to be photographed for media benefit as the gensets arrived, directing the photographers, also towing a Catholic priest around to bless the gensets with Holy Water and "so the people may know" that the final solution to the power crisis that has befallen this island-province has been achieved, then said, "sobra-sobra pa sa kakailangan natin" (we have more than enough).

Local cable-TV had a field day based on instructions to air the video over and over again daily for at least a couple of weeks, but the better informed raised eyebrows, many more simply amused.

Expect a new wave of brownouts in Marinduque now. The new Cummins gensets yet to arrive also have yet to undergo local testing before they become fully operational (see previous post).

Prevailing demand for Marinduque is 7MW, and from today Napocor capability is ony 5.5MW, a power shortage of 1.5MW.



I suppose all of us Marinduqueno Christians will realize that the Cummins gensets need not be blessed this time as there's no evil in 'em gensets. It's in the mind of those that deceive the powerless.