Guimelco, our local “service” provider for electricity secured a 100 million loan last year to completely refurbish the aging electrical grid in Guimaras. The project was to be completed by the start of the annual 2018 Manggahan Festival which ended last May 22nd, 2018. However, we’ve already experienced 20 power outages this June. Thankfully, our rechargeable fans and light bulbs battle the continuing brownouts in our home province of Guimaras.
power outage
Guimaras Seeks to Lower Power Rate
The P14.50 (29¢) per kilowatt-hour rate of Guimaras Electric Cooperative (Guimelco) is a burden to Guimaras consumers. Add to that cost, the regular frequent power interruptions. No wonder this situation is turning off potential investors.
My San Mig Light Epiphany
I experienced “My San Mig Light Ephipany” early one Sunday evening. Another brown out, courtesy of our local “power” company, Guimelco, had struck our sleepy island province of Guimaras. Mayberry is a boom town compared to Guimaras. Our sidewalks roll up at 6 pm. The majority of activity after the sun sets consists of tricycle drivers trolling for 10-peso-a-ride-passengers while burning up 20 pesos of gasoline in the process.
Top 10 Stress-Busters for Living in the Philippines
Living in “paradise,” believe it or not, is not always the utopia you might think it is. After over six years of living in the Philippines I thought it would be a good time to compile my “Top 10 Stress-Busters for Living in the Philippines.”
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Rat Causes 11-Hour Power Outage in Guimaras
9:15 pm Monday. I was already in bed trying to get to sleep. My asawa and our helper, Mera, were upstairs watching a Filipino soap opera. Suddenly I heard a loud explosion! Lights out! Everything went black a split second after the boom. Transformer blew. Heard that sound many times in my almost six years of living in “paradise,” the Philippines.
Philippine Super Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby): Getting Ready Is Key
Terror-stricken denizens throughout the central Philippines, from Eastern Samar to Cebu City to our own island province of Guimaras, emptied the shelves of local grocery and sari sari stores Super Typhoon Hagupit (called “Ruby” in the Philippines,) rapidly approached the island country, renewing terrible memories of complete devastation created by Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) a year ago. Philippine Super Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby): getting ready is key.
Read morePhilippine Super Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby): Getting Ready Is Key
Survey on New Property Could Spark Turf War
A recent new survey on our Guimaras property could spark a turf war. My asawa and I are set to start building our new domicile on the mango island province this November and had hired a survey firm from nearby Iloilo City to do provide us with a sketch plan. We could start working on our final design plans that we could submit to Peter, a local architect and trusted relative, who could transform our rough sketches into a blueprint our construction crew could work with.
My asawa chats with a neighbor who had dropped by to check out all the activity
Dealing with 11 Hour Brownouts in Paradise
You never know what to expect in the Philippines. Sometimes it’s a shabu, meth, dealer that is firing his weapon at a next door neighbor. Other times it could be your niece that has decided to shack up with the son of Jesus. Or it could be my father-in-law, afflicted with dementia, who lives with us and has physically attacked me twice this past week. Our current crisis is dealing with 11 hour brownouts in paradise, the mandated rotational power outages that have hit our mango island province, Guimaras. The scheduled brownouts, from 6 am to 11 pm, hit our area every other day and great impact our daily life.
Rotating Brownouts Hit Our Island Province of Guimaras
Rotating brownouts have hit our island province of Guimaras. We just endured a 10 hour power outage yesterday and have been experiencing major brownouts from three to six hours every other day since mid-July. Thanks to an email from a fellow expat on the island, I have finally discovered the source of these outages.
Read moreRotating Brownouts Hit Our Island Province of Guimaras