By Tara Yap

With the sweltering heat, the on-and-off power blackouts Friday afternoon irked many in Iloilo City and its neighboring towns.
Initially, consumers blamed sole power distributor Panay Electric Cooperative (PECO).
However, the power blackouts were traced to Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC), the operator of the coal-fired power plant in Iloilo City that supplies most power distributors in Panay Island.
PECO was quick to point out that PEDC had a maintenance shutdown that triggered the blackouts.
Unlike in the past, PEDC no longer publicly informs when it conducts an emergency shutdown or maintenance shut down.
This has led to many consumers usually blaming power distributors like PECO and Iloilo Electric Cooperatives (ILECOs)./WDJ