Efficiency is now on the shores of Dinagat Islands, where a new multi-stakeholder partnership is about to leverage Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems to eliminate energy waste and pave the way for a 100% automated, renewable-ready electrical grid.

For an island often at the mercy of the elements, the days of manual restoration and prolonged blackouts are numbered as the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) and the DOST-Caraga Regional Office (DOST-Caraga) partnered with the UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UPD-EEEI) to deploy a more resilient grid powered by SCADA technology.

DOST-ASTI, through the Grid Resilience and Intelligent Data Platform for Automation, Transformation, Control, and Harmonization (GRIDPATCH) Project, aims to bring SCADA technology to areas in the country that continually face challenges in delivering efficient and reliable electricity to their customers.

This revolutionary project funded by DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) will help the Dinagat Island Electric Cooperative (DIELCO) be a more reliable distribution service, addressing issues of lack of optimization, fault detection and absence of automated outage response. The heart of this project is the SCADA system, described as a digital 'brain' that allows engineers to monitor and control the island's entire power flow in real-time from a single dashboard.

On 6 February 2026, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed at the Provincial Science and Technology Office of Surigao del Norte (DOST Surigao del Norte). The coincidental affliction of the typhoon Basyang in the region did not douse the enthusiasm of the stakeholders as Director Franz A. de Leon of DOST-ASTI led the signing with Director Lew Andrew Tria of UPD-EEEI, Regional Director Noel Ajoc of DOST Caraga, and Hon. Sergio Dagooc, General Manager of DIELCO.

Two years ago, Director de Leon narrated the idea of designing and implementing the use of SCADA into what is now the GRIDPATCH Project. Project Lead Engr. Eduardo Piedad Jr. envisioned the final product of the endeavor to be a blueprint and benchmark of SCADA implementation for other grid sectors across the country to address energy problems in the regions.

Director Tria also expressed his support and enthusiasm to be part of the project, stemming from his representation of the electrical engineering academe. Regional Director Ajoc emphasized the initiatives of the Caraga region in bringing science and technology to the people as he expressed his appreciation that, finally, the idea of using SCADA to alleviate the region of its energy woes have transitioned to execution.

Hon. Congressman Dagooc shared the account of his years of experience and challenges in managing the electric cooperative being aware that until now some remote areas and far-flung communities still live in darkness due to constraints in resources and enforcement of law of full electrification. He also addressed the disparity of electricity rates between inland and island customers that elicited challenges rather than harmonization of electricity use under the implementation of existing energy laws.

The project aims to deliver a sustainable system of optimal and efficient electrical distribution services for distribution utilities and cooperatives like DIELCO without burdening its customers with extra cost.

The project team members, who also witnessed the momentous event of the MOA signing, have committed to continually work with the cooperative of Dinagat Island until the system proposed would be installed and operational in 2027. As part of their commitment, the involved entities from DOST Caraga, UPD-EEEI and DIELCO will be hands-on in the project to ensure that the objectives initially set out will be satisfactorily met, if not exceeded.