GMA orders full electrification of all barangay by yearend

BAGUIO CITY: President Gloria Arroyo this week ordered the Department of Energy and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to complete electrification of the remaining 743 rural barangay nationwide before the yearend.

Ninety eight percent, or 41,154 barangays, of the almost 42,000 barangays nationwide have already been provided with electricity. National Electrification Administration Administrator Editha Bueno to the President reported this during her recent visit to Lubao, Pampanga.

The President said her administration has extended P5.2 billion in financial assistance, the biggest in the country’s history, to electric cooperatives to enable them to accomplish their goal of bringing the benefit of electricity to all barangay.

In a continuing effort to bring down power rates in the country, the government is also accelerating power and energy development programs to establish more sources of indigenous power. Mrs. Arroyo also expressed her confidence that power rates will still go down, with the full implementation of the Epira law next year after the expiration of the power purchase agreements.

Earlier, the Philippine Information Agency Cordillera said the Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) is almost complete with the electrification of their whole franchise area. According to Beneco Marketing Specialist Leo Belingon, of the three remaining barangay, two are already ongoing and almost finished, which leaves only Barangay Lusod in Kabayan without electricity.

“We are still looking for funding for Barangay Lusod, but for the on-going projects in Barangays Paka­dang and Bado in Kibungan, the funding worth P14.6 million was provided by NEA,” Belingon added. — Thom F. Picaña, Manila Times