TACLOBAN CITY – Eighteen linemen from the Leyte II Electric Cooperative (Leyeco II), known as the ‘ Warriors of Light’, have been sent to Northern Samar to help restore electricity in areas left in the dark by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Opong’ (international name: Bualoi).
Two batches of line crews, riding four service vehicles, were dispatched to the Northern Samar Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Norsamelco)—the first on October 1 and the second on October 2. Their mission will focus on backbone line rehabilitation in the island municipality of San Antonio, one of the hardest-hit areas, and is expected to last eight days.
Opong battered parts of Eastern Visayas late last week, toppling power lines and severely damaging infrastructure that cut off electricity to thousands of households. Northern Samar was among the provinces that suffered widespread outages.
Leyeco II commended the sacrifice of its linemen, who left their families to assist communities in need. “Long live our Warriors of Light who sacrifice to bring hope and light to communities struck by calamity,” the cooperative said in a message of support.
The deployment reflects the continuing tradition of bayanihan among electric cooperatives in the Visayas and their commitment to help one another quickly restore power in the aftermath of natural disasters.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
