The provincial government here on Saturday called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to tightly watch over the power plants and natural gas facilities in Batangas that supply some 30 percent of the country’s electricity.

Gov. Hermilando Mandanas made the appeal amid the dry season, when the country’s power supply is at its lowest, and some areas are already experiencing outages.

Batangas has several large power-generation facilities, including the 900-megawatt (MW) Calaca power station, the Santa Rita 1,000-MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant, 1,200MW Ilijan natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant, and the soon-to-open 1,300MW Batangas Liquefied Natural Gas Plant.

Mandanas said that by protecting vital installations, such as power plants, the AFP is ensuring the continued operation of various industries that help secure the country’s economic future.

He gave his input on security issues when Brig. Gen. Erwin Alea, the newly promoted commander of the Philippine Army’s 201st Infantry Brigade, paid him a courtesy call.

Alea was accompanied by Lt. Col. Ernesto Teneza, Jr., a battalion commander at the 201st IB, when he presented his credentials to the governor.

Alea and Teneza assured that their unit will strive to promote security and economic stability in the province.

They promised to exert additional effort in watching over economically sensitive locations, such as power generation facilities, industrial hubs and ports.

The two officers also committed the 201st IB’s resources to provide immediate relief and rescue should any calamity, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or typhoons, hit the province.

Meanwhile, Mandanas said that combating insurgency is not only a job for the military, stressing the business sector also has a huge part to play in the fight by creating more job opportunities for economically challenged Batangas townsfolk. (PNA)