Electric cooperatives bill awaiting Duterte’s signature

MANILA, Philippines — A measure that seeks to provide government funding for emergency and resiliency initiatives of 122 electric cooperatives providing power to tens of millions of Filipinos nationwide is now ready for President Duterte’s signature, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said yesterday.

The Senate and the House of Representatives have ratified the final reconciled version of a measure that seeks to assist electric cooperatives during calamities.

“With this reconciled version of the bill, we will create a culture of resiliency in our electric cooperatives and will be responsive to their needs in the aftermath of natural disasters,” Gatchalian, the principal sponsor of the Electric Cooperatives Energy and Resiliency Fund Act, said.

Gatchalian, also the chairman of the Senate energy committee, said both chambers of Congress have ironed out the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill 1461 and House Bill 7054.

The bill will appropriate an initial amount of P750 million for the purpose, carved out from the P7-billion budget of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for electric cooperatives (ECs).

 “The amount shall be immediately released to the National Electrification Administration Quick Response Fund for proper release to qualified electric cooperatives,” he said, noting that ECs would no longer have to pass on the reconstruction costs of damaged infrastructure due to natural calamities directly to their more than 11 million member-consumers.

Subsequent budget allocation, according to Gatchalian, would be included in the General Appropriations Act under the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF). 

 “The allocation of the fund shall be exclusively for the restoration or rehabilitation of the electric cooperatives’ damaged infrastructures after a fortuitous event,” Gatchalian said, stressing that the amount should not be used for the conversion of a calamity loan into a grant. 

He said the bill requires all electric cooperatives to submit to the National Electrification Administration their respective Vulnerability and Risk Assessments, Resiliency Compliance Plans, and Emergency Response Plans every year as part of the requirements to access ECERF.

With regard to donations given by both local and foreign sources, he said NEA shall now have the mandate to receive funds, materials, or equipment intended for the purpose of restoring, or rehabilitating damaged infrastructure of electric cooperativess caused by natural calamities.

House to ERC: Hasten approval of PSAs 

Meanwhile, two House committees have called on the leadership of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to expedite its approval of the application of seven power supply agreements (PSAs) in order to help augment the country’s thinning power supply. 

The joint panel of good government and public accountability as well as House committee on energy recommended in its Committee Report 632 that ERC resolve the soonest the PSAs under the Manila Electric Co. for as long as it complies with the rules and regulations. 

It sought the approval of its report and the adoption of Resolution 1161 filed by House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, who initiated a probe in aid of legislation regarding the PSA’s application that has been pending for quite a while. – With Delon Porcalla