SIQUIJOR Gov. Jake Villa discusses the power crisis in the province during a press conference at the Provincial Capitol on Thursday, June 5. (Calvin Cordova)
By Calvin Cordova
Published Jun 5, 2025 08:20 pm
CEBU CITY — A state of calamity has been declared in Siquijor due to the power crisis that the province is currently experiencing.
Gov. Jake Villa announced that the declaration of state of calamity was unanimously approved during the regular session of the provincial board on Tuesday, June 3.
“We want the public to know, especially the Siquijodnons, that the challenge has become unbearable. We have been experiencing daily blackouts for almost a month already,” Villa said in a press conference at the Siquijor Provincial Capitol on Thursday, June 5.
Villa lamented that for the past month, the province has been experiencing blackouts from four to six hours a day.
He said among the reasons for the power supply problem in the province was the malfunctioning six generators of Siquijor Island Power Corp. (SIPCOR).
SIPCOR, the island’s power provider, is under the Prime Asia Venture Inc. (PAVI) and joined Siquijor in 2015 through a 20-year deal with the Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative (Prosielco).
Villa said some generators need overhaul.
With some generators not functioning, the province is experiencing two megawatts short of their total demand of 9.4 megawatts of power supply.
These generators are diesel-operated, independent, and are not connected to the grid, which means that other provinces cannot augment their power deficits.
“We are off-grid, we are dependent on the generator itself,” Villa said.
With the declaration of the state of calamity, the province will be able to release calamity fund to address the power crisis
The province has a calamity fund of P14 million.
Villa explained that the immediate measure that the province could take following the state of calamity declaration is the rental of two generators from Cebu.
The province needs to shell out P2.8 million to rent to generators for two months.
The two generators have a capacity of two megawatts, enough to address the province’s power crisis, said Villa.
The governor’s press briefing was interrupted by a blackout.
Prosielco has purchased a generator with a capacity of two megawatts from Palawan.
Villa said the state of calamity will be lifted once the power supply becomes stable.
As a long-term solution, Villa said Prosielco will conduct a competitive selection process by inviting more power players to the province.
A solar power plant is being constructed in the town of Maria that is expected to augment additional power supplies in the coming years.
Fortunately, Villa said, the province’s hospital is not affected by the power crisis as it has its own generator and solar panels.
Villa explained that the power crisis has to be addressed immediately as it might affect the province's economy, especially tourism.
Tourism has been a vital player in the province’s economy.
“Last year, our tourist arrivals hit 1.3 million,” Villa said. “If we lose our tourists because they are not satisfied with the services of the establishments, this would interrupt and disrupt our economy. It is tantamount to economic sabotage.”
Without elaborating further on economic sabotage, Villa said that the province is looking into the possibility of taking legal action against SIPCOR.
The power crisis may also affect the province’s peace and order situation, Villa said.
The governor said he is being unfairly blamed for the province’s unstable power supply.
“People are blaming me. In fact, I have been receiving threats through text messages because the power crisis is being blamed on me,” said Villa.
