Frontliners: AboitizPower’s Davao Light ‘Kaibigan’ linemen sustain service to communities amid ECQ
DAVAO CITY – Amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed on Davao City to prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), AboitizPower unit Davao Light & Power Co. Kaibigans ensure that they will “keep the light on” for communities as they continue the distribution utility’s (DU’s) smooth operations.
Davao Light, the country’s third-largest privately-owned DU, calls its team members (including linemen), Kaibigan, a Filipino term for “friend” that puts empathy and readiness to respond at its core. Davao Light Kaibigans serve and deliver power to 1.8 million customers in Davao City, areas of Panabo City, and the towns of Carmen, Dujali, and Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte.
Despite the mounting risk, Davao Light Kaibigans carry on — mask, alcohol, and all — knowing that they have a mission to continue providing power and energy to sustain basic human life.
On the “frontline” are members of Davao Light’s engineering distribution services department (10 organic field personnel, over 20 contractor gangs, and 31 emergency crew members), who continue to work on their normal duties with an added priority to emergency response and preventive tasks, with work order assignments sent electronically.
“We ensure that power interruptions are responded [to] and restored as fast as we can. We prevent big troubles from happening, which may result in power interruption. We protect our lines and make them safe for the public,” explained Mervin Dalian, Davao Light engineering distribution services department head.
Davao Light’s engineering team has also been busy with the restoration of one substation and the repair of various feeder line components on P. Reyes Street in Davao City.
Davao Light field works gang supervisor Allan Villaver and his team for instance, have been working for the past weeks doing routine maintenance work like installing power line covers to prevent electrocution, fixing feeder and lateral trips that can lead to power outages or connecting customers to the grid.
They have extremely demanding tasks which have now been made more complicated by an invisible enemy that still has no cure.
“Even though we have this fear in ourselves, we always instill in our minds that we must do our job to sustain the stability of our system since everybody needs the supply of electricity, especially in the hospitals,” Villaver said.
Ensuring ‘Kaibigan’ safety
To ensure the safety of the linemen reporting for duty, thermal scanners have been installed in Davao Light’s offices, complemented by periodic disinfection of high-touch areas.
Face shields have been made available for frontliner Kaibigans and 196 sanitary kits have already been distributed to on-duty team members. Those going out to the field can also avail of foot bath basins made of scrap metal from the Davao Light Bajada Power Plant.
“We protect ourselves by using face masks, bringing alcohol to disinfect our hands while in the field, and we keep the social distancing rule, especially when interfacing with customers,” Villaver explained.
At present, Davao Light continues to operate within the limits set by the local government and health authorities. Although 53% of the company’s staff are working from home, roughly 47% still report to the office or are deployed as part of the engineering, customer service, or administration teams that form the skeleton workforce.
The company’s contact center is operating round-the-clock like normal, customers can still transact albeit within curfew hours, and maintenance and emergency crews still respond to trouble calls as fast as they can.
“We owe it to the customers that we provide them continuous service. What will happen if everyone is afraid?” said Ross Luga, Davao Light Assistant Vice President for Reputation Management.
And that may well be the spark inside each “Kaibigan” who is dedicated to keeping the light on, especially now when communities need them most.
