Cusi prioritizes 100% electrification in first 100 days

MANILA, Philippines – Improved services to the people through 100 percent electrification and speedy processing of public dealings are among the top priorities of the new Department of Energy (DOE) chief in his first 100 days.

DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi vowed to continue the progress made by the previous administration on the national electrification mandate. 

“What we’re going to do is continue that. That’s not a bad objective. We have to hasten it,” he said.

The DOE chief has directed the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and National Power Corp. (Napocor) to identify the problems and come up with a solution in powering every household in the country.

“In the bigger picture, the first thing we’re going to do is 100 percent electrification of household connection nationwide,” Cusi said. “We’d like to make it 100 percent that’s why we’re tasking NEA and Napocor to address the problem.” 

Based on DOE records, Luzon has 90 percent while Visayas has 92 percent in terms of household electricity connection. Mindanao, on the other hand, only has 72 percent electrification.

Cusi said power service delivery should cover everyone, including the less fortunate, even the informal settlers. 

“Priority is to deliver the necessary service to the less fortunate. I’d like to immediately look at the informal settlers, who don’t have electric connections and are coursing their connection through certain individuals who have to pay more. I’d like to address that immediately,” he said.

Consultations will also be made to determine the problems in electricity supply in island provinces, the DOE chief said.

“For the island provinces, in the first 30 days, we will have consultations…to determine why we have problems in electricity delivery,” he said.

Cusi said another service which needs improvement is also within the DOE itself, which involves queuing and processing.

“On the services to the people, we have to begin it here in the DOE. I’d like to see that immediate improvement. The queuing, I don’t know how it is...but we have to ask everybody to review the process of their dealing with the public,” he said.

Long queues and lengthy permitting processes in government offices has been one of the main issues President Rodrigo Duterte has been targeting to eliminate even before he took his oath as the 16th President of the Philippines, and this has been well-received by the Filipinos.