Gov’t energizes 16,407 sitios, barangays

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino administration has so far energized 16,467 sitios or far-flung areas, comprising 50.76 percent of its target, National Electrification Administration (NEA) administrator Edita S. Bueno said yesterday on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the government’s Rural Electrification Program (REF).

The administration’s target is to energize 32,441 sitios.

Bueno said the government’s Sitio Electrification Program (SEP) has provided electric service to some 52 million Filipinos in the country or in areas that are not connected to the grid.

“The accelerated pace of total electrification through the SEP was made possible by the unprecedented subsidy assistance in the total amount of P14.281 billion,” she said during yesterday’s celebration at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

NEA is the government agency mandated to provide total electrification on an area coverage basis as it pursues the rural electrification program.

Related to this mandate, NEA also oversees the operations of electric cooperatives.

Apart from electrification, the state-run agency also pushes for good governance and service excellence among electric cooperatives.

It also reactivated the task force in charge of reconstructing damaged electricity distribution lines in areas devastated by typhoons that struck the country last year.

The task force for Super Typhoon Yolanda composed of 1,172 engineers and linemen from 70 ECs and 11 private organizations had reconstructed the backbone lines along centers of the 341 affected municipalities in 33 ECs across Regions 4-B, 5, 6, 7 and 8 as of December 2013, according to NEA.

“Their efforts were further extended and, as of April 30, 2014, electric distribution systems to 7,004 barangays out of 7,052 were rehabilitated and power to 1,406,766 households out of 1,428,636 have been restored,” Bueno said.

The task force for Typhoon Pablo, which also struck last year, meanwhile, also completed the rehabilitation of lateral lines of the 25 last mile barangays in the municipalities of Cateel, Boston, Baganga and Caraga in Davao Oriental, 18 days ahead of the restoration timeline.

The task force for Typhoon Santi also restored power in 10 barangays in Tarlac under the franchise area of a privately-owned utility.