NEWS OF THE TOWN

HISTORY DENIED TO BULANONS
By Roy A. Gersalia

BULAN, Sorsogon — (News)– A news blackout.

Much has been dismayed and others outraged when the Sorsogon Electric Cooperative (Soreco I) at 9:00 a.m., yesterday suddenly cut off its power which services six towns here in the province of Sorsogon denying the residents to witness history- the verdict of former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada at the Sandiganbayan.

As early as 6:00 a.m., yesterday, residents of this town were already tuning in their radio and turning on their television sets to listen and or watch the latest happenings in Metro Manila as broadcast networks and print journalists in the capital scrambled off to report the news with fresh and outstanding stories.

But at 9:00 a.m., when the promulgation of the deposed president accused of plunder is about to start, the electric power here went off.

ROBBED OF HISTORY

Edwin, 26, felt that he was being cheated. ” I have been longing to see it on live newscast but this electric cooperative where I am a member-consumer deprived me. I am being robbed of history,” he said.

“With this power outtage, I felt like our town is not part of the Philippines. Everytime there’s big news out there, our electric power went off for no apparent reason. Maybe the fight of Manny Pacquiao on October 7 is next,” said Jojo in Filipino, a pedicab driver.

Most residents here went out of their houses when the power went off cursing the Electric Cooperative in particular and the national government in general.

A government employee who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “maybe the sudden power outage which will resume at about 5:00 p.m., today is an order from the top. Soreco is only a subcriber of the Napocor (National Power Corporation) and if somebody from the top ordered to turn off its power for a while, our electric cooperative will of course follow, or say amen.

RESUMPTION

At about 4:30 p.m., the electric power resumed. But some residents here said, there’s not much use of it anymore. They lamented that when they really needed electric power, it is also the time when it is being turned off.

Some residents considered it useless as they already know the news from others about theverdict of the former president as some of them resourcefully relied on radio with batteries.

NOTICE

Meanwhile a Soreco employee who refused to be named when interviewed, said they had announced about the power outage a day earlier. He said they had assumed that every member-consumer knew about it.

Pressed for additional statement, the said employee declined.