The South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SOCOTECO II) proceeded with its first phase of pole relocation work on Friday night, causing an eight-hour power interruption in General Santos City, despite appeals from residents to postpone the activity following twin earthquakes that struck Mindanao earlier in the day. Sean Paul Gornez, a resident of Palm Woods Springs in Barangay Lagao, expressed anxiety over the outage, citing the need for electricity to stay informed about aftershocks or evacuation plans. He acknowledged the importance of the infrastructure work but criticized the timing as insensitive to public safety concerns, suggesting future activities be rescheduled during emergencies. The pole relocation occurred just hours after two strong earthquakes—a magnitude 7.4 quake at 9:43 a.m. and a magnitude 6.9 tremor at 7:12 p.m.—struck off Davao Oriental, prompting residents to remain alert for aftershocks. The outage, initially scheduled from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., lasted about four hours in some areas, affecting zones around General Santos Doctors Hospital, Robinsons Mall, and subdivisions in Barangay Lagao. The relocation is part of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ Underpass and Interchanges Project along Mabuhay Road. Ahead of the outage, residents urged SOCOTECO II to postpone the activity, citing safety risks. SOCOTECO II’s technical team inspected facilities after the morning quake and reported no abnormalities. The relocation continued on October 11 with a ten-hour outage affecting the City Hall Compound and nearby areas, with a final round scheduled for October 12. (Guia Rebollido/MindaNews)
