BAGUIO City – As super typhoon Ofel lands in Cagayan, BENECO is all eyes on its preparations for any eventuality.
It is also continuing to monitor the condition of the 11 man Task Force Kapatid (TFK) team it sent to Cagayan to help restore power for the Cagayan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CAGELCO.
“Nu alanganin, saan yu piliten, safety kanayun (if the weather conditions are too dangerous, stop in the meantime. Avoid situations where everyone’s safety is compromised,” Ramel Rifani, network services department manager, reminded the team’s members.
Rifani communicates with the team on a daily basis.
BENECO’s team, headed by Percival Aspilan, an engineer, has been assigned at the municipality of Ballesteros, one of the hardest hit towns by super typhoon Marce recently.
Rifani also reminded the BENECO team not to forget to use their “grounding cluster” equipment to avoid accidental electrocution in case of sudden lightning strike or other sources of electricity while they work on the power cables. All BENECO crew have grounding clusters.
“Especially since they are unfamiliar where sources of power are coming from in the area, unlike here in their home ground,” Rifani explained.
The team in Ballesteros were also encouraged to update the main headquarters regularly whenever cellular signal is available.
As of 12 noon November 14, “arbis laeng ti tudo na (rain showers only),” Aspillan said. The BENECO Team is part of the TFK among nearby cooperatives coordinated by the @53 PHILRECA. By Laarni S. Ilagan