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The Light Brigade

Unsung everyday heroes like PECO’s engineers and linemen often risk life and limb to keep the lights on.
A simple flip of that light switch is not so simple after all.
Joanne Marie Combong-Pijuan finds out why.

These days, almost everything depends on electricity. Gone are the days when we could survive without using an electrical gadget or appliance. In fact, most of us Filipinos cannot imagine the coming Christmas season without the twinkling lights around us that never fail to set the mood for laughter and good cheer.

But what does it really take to keep that power on? “Currently, we have fifty two thousand active consumers, so you can imagine the scope of our work and how vast our area of responsibility is,” said Engr. Randy Pastolero, Operations Manager of Panay Electric Company (PECO). “In order for our subscribers to have continuous power, we strive to maintain our facilities in flawless condition. This includes our four substations, the 21 feeders that are hooked to those substations, the distribution transformers, as well as the electrical lines that are connected to the meters in each household. In addition, we constantly try to find ways to make the distribution of power in Iloilo more efficient. In fact we are currently in the process of putting up a new substation and upgrading our transmission lines,” he added.

How we get electricity in our homes is a complicated process, akin to rocket science if you may, especially to us non-engineers who get dry-mouthed at the mention of anything technical or mechanical. But for the engineers who have spent half of their lives in the company, each day, whether riddled with challenges or not, draws exactly the same kind of commitment and effort from them.

“We’re on call 24 hours a day,” shared Engr. Allan Maprangala, PECO’s Engineering Superintendent and top technical man. Maprangala has been with the company for 22 years, and his job is to maintain the substations. (Substations convert power sourced out from suppliers like National Power Corporation and Panay Power Corporation from 69,000 volts to the distribution voltage level of 13,200 volts). “Of course we have eight hour-days, but we have troubleshooting teams who stand ready 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergencies. In addition, we do some of our line maintenance work at midnight to avoid inconveniencing our customers. Especially during times of calamities or major power outages, the whole company shifts into high gear. We have to be prepared for any eventuality.”

Last year’s Typhoon Frank that devastated Iloilo and the recent typhoons that have wrought havoc in Manila are the kinds of disasters that test the depth of our power providers’ resourcefulness and commitment. According to Engr. Maprangala, during Typhoon Frank, the Tabuc Suba substation in Jaro was flooded up to 7 ft. from the substation floor. All instrumentation, metering, and relay equipment in the control room including cable conduits were covered with mud and silt, a first for PECO. Although that was a major disaster, the determination to bring back power was foremost in the company’s mind. Additional crews were contracted and supplementary electrical lines were set up in record time to connect Jaro customers to other substations several kilometers away. “While other distribution utilities weren’t able to restore power for more than three weeks, PECO was able to energize 70% of its franchise area in three days, and 94% on the 6th day,” said Pastolero.

Like almost all PECO employees, engineers Delfin Villagracia, Line Engineer 1; Nilo Madrial, Transformer Shop Supervisor; and Basil Rene A. Ichon, Switchboard Control Supervisor, had to work around the clock during the onslaught of Typhoon Frank. “That was one of the worst calamities that caused a lot of damage to our facilities. Almost all of us were out in the field troubleshooting or supervising our men. We had to be absolutely sure that all safety concerns were addressed before energizing a particular area,” recounted Ichon. “In addition, the Switchboard phone lines didn’t stop ringing for a single minute, with calls from customers who were concerned about the situation in their particular area. Often, we just had to let one line ring while we took down the information given by the customer to radio it to the teams in the field. We could hardly take a break to eat.”

“We had to stay with and by our men until the wee hours while determining the damage and bracing for more. Teamwork is key in situations like this. Since we have been in the company working together for many years, we were able to resolve most of the problematic situations in a speedy manner,” said Madrial.

“We can’t leave our linemen and other personnel in the field by themselves, this is a dangerous job; one mistake could mean losing lives. Some years ago a PECO lineman nearly lost an arm after being struck by an airborne G.I. sheet while repairing lines in the middle of a typhoon. Another time, we had an employee who got electrocuted, resulting to the loss of several of his fingers. This was while in the process of restoring power in an area where illegal connection was rampant and electricity flowed back due to the same illegal connections. We can’t afford to risk that,” declared Villagracia. “The thing is, force majeure situations or ordinary days are the same for us in terms of dedication to our work. In my team’s case, we still do the same routine. We inspect wires, poles, and transformers with the same diligence, and we act on anything that may be defective, calamity or no calamity,” he said.

But in spite of the 24-hour days and the extreme work conditions during installations and power restorations, the company and its employees still endure withering censure and a whole lot of flak especially in the days following outages.

“It’s often a thankless job, but we do it anyway,” said Mr. Caloy Borja, Public Relations Assistant and the company’s all-around go-to man. “Truth is, most incidences of power interruptions are not PECO-caused. So many factors are at work. Outages could be supplier-related, they could be from overloading due to illegal power tapping, and of course, from force majeure situations like floods, storms, and the like, that may damage our facilities,” explained Borja.

Engineer Pastolero and Mr. Borja maintain a proactive and straightforward attitude when facing criticisms or queries from subscribers, media people, politicians, or anybody who has anything to say about the company and its services. “We face them upfront, we give them the real picture – we hope they know that we take our jobs seriously. We also explain that being at the tail end of the grid has its disadvantages,” said Pastolero.

According to the engineers, while there is an abundance of power in places like Negros and Leyte, Panay Island is, geographically, at the “tail end of the grid.” This basically means that before power can reach us from suppliers like NPC, it must travel from the source hundreds of kilometers away. On the way, the power lines of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP formerly Transco) are vulnerable to many factors that may cause outages. An example would be the memorable event on Christmas Day in 2007 when TransCo’s sub transmission line experienced a fault due to an attempt to steal a guy wire in one of their 69 kV poles, causing a blackout in Iloilo City for a little over an hour. But bottom line is, whether it’s a supplier-related outage or a transformer is suddenly struck by lightning, when power is out and the candles are lit, most of us will still think it’s PECO’s fault. So there’s the rub.

No matter what people say though, the men of PECO remain unfazed. Tasked with piecing wounded distribution systems back together jigsaw puzzles, they unmindfully put in hundreds of hours installing new wires, poles, and insulators.

In this line of work, it takes more than just patience or skill to survive. Commitment is necessary, and yes, intestinal fortitude. This profession is not for the faint of heart, or for the weak-stomached.

Asked why they do the things that they do in spite of the many challenges, they all say the same thing, that nothing beats coming away from a resolved situation feeling really good because they’ve helped people.

“I’m proud of our team, the kind of work ethic, drive, and technical skill that the men have and that our company has tried to instill in every single employee since PECO began serving Iloilo over 85 years ago. These qualities are all the more evident during calamities when speed, safety, and service are needed above all else,” declared Borja. “Even when I was a newbie employee and until now, 19 years after, nothing has changed. The men still work long shifts and fix damaged wires in the middle of a storm or a crisis. For me, they are living examples of our company’s mission statement: to contribute to the development of Iloilo City by providing excellent service in a safe and reliable manner at the lowest possible cost. But if you ask them, they will say it’s just part of their job. They are the unsung heroes of public service.”