By Iris Gonzales (The Philippine Star) | Updated May 18, 2015 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines – Power outages continue to worsen in Occidental Mindoro with daily blackouts lasting from six to 12 hours, residents said. A group of residents, who call themselves the 100 percent Brownout-Free Occidental Mindoro, urged Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla and the Department of Energy (DOE) to investigate and act on their problem. The group said the province needs new power sources or blackouts would continue. The Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (Omeco) is currently locked in legal battles with its independent power provider, which has not produced electricity since 2007. The group said the province depends on diesel-fired generators from the state-run National Power Corp. Convenors of the group include lawyer Patty Miranda, nurse Annette Aguila and accountant Diane Apigo-Tayag. The group has launched an online petition on Change.org, urging Petilla and the DOE to address the province’s power problem. It said that on May 13, the nine-hour rotational blackouts as announced by Omeco turned out to be 10 hours. Residents of San Jose, Rizal and Magsaysay towns complained that they experienced intermittent power. Residents from Sablayan, who rallied against the seven to 12-hour blackouts in April, expressed dismay that they have to experience another round of power outages that may be longer in duration. READ IT HERE: http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/05/18/1455759/mindoro-reeling-power-outages