Siquijor Governor Jake Villa. I Jake Vincent Villa FB Page
SIQUIJOR, Philippines – Siquijor Governor Jake Villa on Thursday, June 5, 2025, announced that the province has declared a State of Calamity due to the ongoing power crisis in Siquijor.
The resolution was passed during the regular session of the Provincial Board on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
In a press conference, Villa said that for almost a month, they have been experiencing daily brownouts lasting around five hours.
Some areas in the province reportedly receive only two to five hours of electricity each day.
“The Province of Siquijor declared a State of Calamity because of our electricity problem. One month—and counting—na gyud ni atong electricity issue, dako kaayong challenge,” Villa said. (The Province of Siquijor declared a State of Calamity because of our electricity problem. It’s been one month—and counting—of this electricity issue, and it’s a very big challenge.)
Although the province has experienced brownouts in the past, these used to last only 1–2 hours.
One of the reasons behind the power supply problem is the malfunctioning of all six generators of Siquijor Island Power Corporation (SIPCOR).
SIPCOR, the island’s power provider, is under Prime Asia Venture Incorporated (PAVI). It entered into a 20-year deal with the Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative (Prosielco) in 2015.
Villa said that the generators are currently undergoing overhauling.
Because of this, the province is experiencing a shortage of 2 megawatts out of its total power demand of 9.4 megawatts.
Additionally, since the generators are diesel-operated and the island is not connected to the national grid, they cannot receive power from other provinces.
“Kining atong isla, we are not connected to the grid. We are off-grid, so we are completely dependent on our generators,” he added. (This island of ours is not connected to the grid. We are off-grid, so we are completely dependent on our generators.)
“Kung duha or tulo ka generator dili mo-function, dili gyud siya mogana, because we are very dependent on that,” he explained. (If two or three generators don’t function, everything really stops because we are very dependent on them.)
With the declaration of the State of Calamity, the province can now access its calamity fund more easily to address the problem.
Among the planned solutions is the rental of two generators from Cebu, each with a capacity of 2 megawatts—enough to help resolve the power crisis.
Currently, the province has a calamity fund of P14 million. The rental cost for the generators is estimated at P2.8 million, good for two months.
In addition, Prosielco has purchased a 2-megawatt generator from Palawan.
Once the power supply stabilizes, Villa said the State of Calamity will be lifted.