Electrification project benefits four city barangays

CEBU, Philippines - Residents of Lusaran, a barangay over 40 kilometers from Cebu City proper, were elated after they were chosen among the beneficiaries of a Rural Electrification Project.

Emma Escoto, 53, has been living in Sitio Laguna with her family without electricity in the past 50 years.

It was on October 3 when her family saw the “hope” in life after being chosen as among the beneficiaries of the “Let There Be Light” project of Cebu City government and its partners.

Escoto’s family was among the 236 households that benefited from the electrification program, which is being implemented by the Visayan Electric Company, Inc.

The P24.4 million project covered the electrification program of 25 sitios of six cities and municipalities of the Province of Cebu, including Cebu City.

For Cebu City, at least 13 sitios from four barangays have benefited from the project. It is the second batch of the VECO’s electrification project.

The four mountain barangays are Kalunasan, Lusaran, Sinsin, and Buhisan.

Veco’s electrification project is funded by the Energy Relations No. 1-94, which mandates power generation companies to provide financial benefits to its host communities by “setting aside one centavo per kilowatt hour of its total gross electricity sales to fund rural electrification, development and livelihood, and reforestation, watershed management, health and environmental enhancement projects.”

Yesterday, VECO conducted the “switching-on” ceremony for the Rural Electrification Project at the Cebu City Hall Legislative Building’s Social Hall.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama expressed gratitude to VECO, DOE, and power generation companies such as AboitizPower, Cebu Energy, East Asia, Kepco SPC Power Corporation, and Cebu Power.

“This project should be implemented because it touches the hearts of the poor,” Rama said.

VECO senior vice president and chief operating officer Anton Mari Perdices said the company embraced the Department of Energy’s program by becoming the implementor of the electrification project under its franchise area.

He said VECO’s role was to put up the electric poles and lines to the mountain barangays for the residents’ access to electricity.  Perdices said there will be other areas that will benefit from the project.

DOE-7 Director Antonio Labios recognized the efforts of the Cebu City government, VECO and the power generation companies for the project.

He said the first batch was in Naga City and the second is in Cebu City.  The same project will be implemented in Talisay City and the municipalities of Consolacion, Minglanilla, and San Fernando. —  (FREEMAN)