Woman power …..
Empowering Women and Inspiring Change in Davao Light
The sound of Daisy’s safety shoes echoed as they hit the pavement of a 1,651-square-meter lot area under construction. She leads the team inside the walled site where the control building and steel structure of the soon-to-be 50 megavolt-amperes (MVA) substation are being prepared for the arrival and installation of major equipment.
Engr. Daisy Vale de Gracia is the project engineer of this substation of Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. (Davao Light) located in a new commercial district in Lanang, Davao City. Now in her eighth year with the company, she is a Senior Engineer under the Substation Design Section of the Power Systems Design Department (PSDD), which manages lines and substation projects of the distribution utility.
Women engineers who lead and handle projects are not new in Davao Light, with Daisy being one of the first few who showed how women can also thrive in a male-dominated industry. Fearlessly continuing to blaze a trail for the next women engineers of the company, Daisy’s independence, courage, and determination were built by life’s trials.
“Losing my mother at the age of 15 was the most challenging moment of my life,” Daisy shared. As the second of five children, Daisy took care of her other siblings while her elder sister was away at college.
“The absence of a maternal figure forced me to become resilient and self-reliant, especially since I was thrust into the responsibility of taking care of my siblings. This shaped me into an individual who values the strength found within oneself.”
Daisy earned a degree in Electrical Engineering and placed 9th in the September 2015 Registered Electrical Engineers Licensure Examination. In 2016, she joined Davao Light at the same time when her father decided to take an early retirement.
“I am grateful to Davao Light because they believe that female engineers can contribute value. With the opportunity given to me, I was able to financially support my siblings’ education together with my other sisters,” she said, adding how she felt relief when her youngest sibling finished her education last year.
Daisy was involved in significant projects early on in her career, having handled the upgrade of Davao Light’s Buhangin Substation, which was her first major project back in 2019. She considers it as the project she feels most proud of. The substation upgrade was completed in 2021 and helped meet the growth and development of the area. It was the company’s first 69kV/13.8kV substation with two 33-MVA power transformers.
Substations and lines are important facilities for power distribution, considered the third and final stage in the delivery of electricity. These facilities receive and lower high transmission voltage for end-users. As a distribution utility, Davao Light has twenty-seven substations with four being fully digital.
Digital substations capture and transmit real-time data, allowing the utility to remotely monitor and have better and faster control of its power systems when necessary. For example, during unscheduled outages, system operation engineers can remotely transfer electrical loads from the affected substation to other nearby substations, helping prevent long power interruptions. In a nutshell, digital substations will improve the availability, reliability, and efficiency of the power supply in the area it serves.
“This substation in Lanang is a full digital substation,” Daisy said. Now at 85% completion, it will meet the growing demand for stable power in the area which includes the new township development in the city, the Davao Park District. Upon completion, Daisy shared that Davao Light will have six fully digital substations in its portfolio, with the other being the upcoming Panabo Substation.
Aside from handling this vital project, Daisy is also one of those handling Davao Light’s Substation Regulatory Asset Base, which ensures that all substation assets of the company are accounted for. She is also studying environmental-friendly alternatives to circuit breakers, an electrical safety device. This will further Davao Light’s advocacy of environmental protection.
When asked to describe who she is without the title “Engineer,” Daisy answered, “Just an ordinary lady who likes milk tea. I drink milk tea once a week on average. I have a sweet tooth and I like cakes and sweet pastries. I want to learn baking someday.”
Not one to shy away from learning, she is currently pursuing postgraduate studies for personal fulfillment and career advancement. She also recently got married and plans to focus on building her own family.
“Women are powerful because of their ability to break barriers and inspire positive change through their determination, compassion, and unwavering commitment to making a difference in the world,” she said.
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