LIKE ALL towns in the country, the promise of progress for Compostela town, in the province of Davao de Oro, is tethered to the reliability of its power grid. Stable electricity does not only spell modern convenience, but it is also the lifeblood of small businesses, a make-or-break factor in household budgets, and in some cases, a vital element of survival.
For Compostela, the daily realities of high bills and lingering reliability issues have left its residents asking a fundamental question: Is it time for a choice?
A tale of two bills
Having been raised in Davao City right before moving to Compostela town after her marriage, Elsie Tapanan, 52, a worker at Jhoy’s Kakanin, certainly is qualified to compare the service between Nordeco and Davao Light.
“I think that we are paying more here for even fewer appliances,” she said. “In my parents’ house in Ulas, I don’t remember them paying more than P1,000 in their monthly electricity bills.”
She has worked at the food house since she and her husband transferred to Compostela a year ago. Being in charge of the family’s finances, Elsie has kept track of their monthly electricity bills since then.
“I was surprised that in June, we were billed around P1,000 when we were not even at home for most of the day, and only the electric fan at night,” she said.
“If what they say is true, that Davao Light will eventually take over the power here, then I would be very happy,” she said. “Our budget is already tight enough as it is since we are only relying on our daily wage. If our electricity bill continues to be high, we would have to sacrifice some of our needs.”
“I know Davao Light can help this town if they can bring their excellent service in Davao City to here,” she added.
The high cost of survival
Guillermo Gatub, 63, owner of a welding and vulcanizing shop, is a survivor who has suffered a stroke three times since 2012. Having lived in Compostela, he endured the dark days during the legal tussle between the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative (Daneco), which peaked in 2012 and caused a lot of confusion and buried consumers in debt. The eventual agreement of the two factions created the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (Nordeco).
In the same vein, he also suffered through the literal dark nights when power outages lasted until morning with no explanation and no apology. Being a stroke patient, having stable power is not only about convenience, but a matter of life and death.
He said that the oppressive heat can trigger dehydration and even stroke events, which is why they invested in an air conditioner. His wife is also nearing retirement age, and while she’s healthy, she likewise deserves a good night’s sleep. Of course, power outages render their air conditioner useless, which became a source of frustration for the family, especially his wife, who is also his primary carer.
“To be fair, the power situation here in our town has improved since last year,” he said. “But my thinking is that if we have a choice to choose another provider, then that’s a good thing.”
“For instance, I haven’t really experienced what Davao Light has to offer, but I heard a lot of good things about them. Maybe they do offer cheaper rates, and maybe our power situation will stabilize. It’s really about comparing better products and sticking to who is providing better service,” he said.
The business of uncertainty
While residential consumers calculate the cost of their comfort, local micro-businesses face a different kind of pressure. For establishments dealing with perishable goods, a sudden drop in voltage or an unannounced blackout doesn’t just mean discomfort—it threatens their very livelihood.
Irene Acilo, 25, a cashier at a fried chicken food house, said unannounced brownouts have become a source of stress for their store. “We always have the meat inside our freezer to ensure they don’t spoil. Meanwhile, we immediately call or message Nordeco so that we have an idea of when the electricity returns,” she said.
Fortunately, they haven’t experienced spoilage so far since the power interruptions only lasted for less than an hour. The freezer, she said, stores at least 35 kilos of chicken. One factor for the lack of spoilage is that the store manages to sell all of its supplies before 9 p.m., which is when Irene clocks out.
“I could say that they have improved in terms of restoring electricity. However, we can’t help but be worried,” she added.
She had reason to worry. After all, she and her family experienced extended power outages that lasted through the night. “Before, I remembered brownouts starting at 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. We couldn’t sleep due to the humidity and mosquitoes,” she shared.
Like most people in the town, Irene heard about Davao Light coming in to meet the power demands of Davao de Oro, including Compostela.
“My mother lives in Panabo City, and their billing is already with Davao Light. So, when I visit her, I can compare the services of both utility providers,” she said.
Davao Light has been supplying electricity to Panabo City since 1994, when the company built a substation with a modest 20 megawatts of capacity, serving about 25,000 residential and commercial clients. The numbers have since almost quadrupled today. “I hope Davao Light will come here soon, and we will happily welcome them to our town,” she said.
