They who give us a ‘lighted’ world
By Venus May H. Sarmiento, PIA
THEY live a life above the ground, literally. And, we are not referring to birds or planes. They are people-in the flesh. They are the linemen, the silent heroes of the power industry, particularly of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.
There was Radito Agas, line foreman of one of the six teams of North Luzon linemen. It was drizzling when he gathered his men in November 2013 for a very important mission.
Armed with restoration equipment and sheer commitment to serve, the linemen along with other teams were immediately deployed and made to travel long hours by land, wondering what awaited them in their destination.
When they arrived at the mission site, their hearts stopped upon seeing the devastation they never imagined — uprooted trees, toppled electric posts, submerged vehicles, collapsed buildings, crushed houses and dead bodies lining the streets. They were in Leyte after super typhoon Yolanda left the region flat and ruined.
The sight before them was enough to make them more determined to accomplish their mission– to restore the power back immediately and illuminate the city to give hope to the traumatized residents. The team quickly changed into their protective clothing and started working on the Emergency Restoration System.
Erecting toppled posts and climbing these at 100 to 140 feet high was no easy job, said Engr. Allan Sandoval, head of the operations and maintenance group in Pangasinan. To know how to climb was one thing but to be able to climb a steel post as high as a 15-storey building, staying there, fixing electrical wires and enduring the climate, required a special skill and talent. It called for a highly trained personnel and that’s why they were there.
“ This is what we call ‘buwis-buhay’ and ‘tumutulay sa alambre’ because linemen are exposed to snakes, insect bites and sudden changes in weather,” he said.
“And once they are up there, these ‘spidermen’ or ‘supermen’ would rather finish their jobs than descend to eat lunch or snacks and climb up again,” said line foreman Agas.
Lineman Larry Balolong, who leads the group in prayer before starting out on their morning routine, said what keeps him moving is the passion to help and serve the people.
Rey Padayao and Diosdado Ferrer, linemen of western Pangasinan team, who share the same sentiment, added that aside from coping with homesickness and the risks, they have to contend with complaints about their “inability” to restore power on demand. But they take immense pleasure when people cheer once power is restored.
After a hard day’s work, linemen on mission retire inside a cramped substation or camp out on makeshift houses until their mission is done. That could mean being away from their families for about a week to more than a month until pack-up time.
Such is the life of the linemen we do not hear about, the people we do not see everyday but risk their lives to make us see the world; they who literally ‘walk the line’ up there so we could use our cellphone down here; they whom we forget to thank for making our lives comfortable every time we turn on a switch or push a button.
Fortunately, the team was able to restore power ahead of schedule and was able to return to their homes before Christmas of 2013. But wait! There goes the alarm again for restoration works. Typhoon Glenda just devastated Metro Manila and Bataan. The brave linemen are off to a mission again.
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