Napocor provides boost to Lubang Island tourism

A tourist island in Occidental Mindoro gets a generator set (genset) from the National Power Corp. (Napocor) to provide a more stable power supply to support its booming business and tourism sectors.

Napocor said in a statement it granted Lubang Island an additional 600-kilowatt (kw) generating set to augment the supply of the Lubang Diesel Power Plant (DPP), which has a dependable capacity of 1400 kw and demand of 850 kw.

Currently, the DPP provides 5,810 households with 24-hour supply of electricity.

“We expedited the hauling of the new genset to the island to avoid service interruption especially today that we are anticipating a surge in demand due to the summer season,” Napocor president Ma. Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita said.

Lubang Island is becoming one of the top tourist destinations in the country because of its pristine and extensive coral reefs.

The island is also known for the Onoda Trail along caves, rivers and waterfalls, named after Lt. Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese solider who lived in the jungles for 30 years after World War II believing that the world is still at war.

“Summer in Lubang Island does not only mean higher power consumption due to the heat but also more tourists to visit the place,” Sta. Rita added.

In an aim to provide more reliable power supply, Napocor has also recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the municipality of Claveria in Masbate for the takeover of the town’s diesel power plant.

Sta. Rita and Claveria Mayor Henedina Andueza signed the agreement that will electrify all additional 3,800 households in the area, on top of its current 1,000 household connections.

“With the takeover, the existing but unused distribution lines in three barangays will now be utilized,” the Napocor official said.

The corporation has also secured a reliable and stable power supply in Ticao Island, Masbate as another 300-kw generating set was delivered in the area.

Sta. Rita said the new genset will put ease to the near 10,000 households of the four municipalities of the island such as San Jacinto, San Fernando, Monreal and Bautan.

Ticao Island is one of the three major islands of the province of Masbate.