The Department of Energy has called on electric cooperatives to expand their services to unserved and underserved areas, pursue projects that enhance electricity access, and commit to providing more efficient, reliable, and sustainable service to the public.
DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla, at the joint celebration of the National Electrification Administration’s (NEA) 55th founding anniversary, the 15th National Electrification Awareness Month, and the 45th annual membership meeting of the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association recently, said that achieving full electrification could contribute about P315 billion to the economy, equivalent to about 1.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
“Extending electricity access for up to 16 to 24 hours a day could increase household income by 49.4 percent and household expenditure by 52.2 percent,” the DOE said in a statement Sept. 2.
Providing low-income families with about eight hours of electricity per day could boost their income by 17.9 percent and their expenditure by 17 percent, while expanding access to 16 hours per day could lead to a 33.3 percent increase in income and a 33 percent rise in expenditure, it added.
In Negros Oriental, the Noreco II said it has energized 32 sitios under the Sitio Electrification Program (SEP) during a recent ceremony at the Barangay Nagbalaye Gymnasium in Santa Catalina, aligned with the 15th National Electrification Awareness Month.
The energization event included 19 sitios in Santa Catalina and 13 sitios in Siaton. The implementation of SEP is spearheaded by the National Electrification Administration (NEA), which aims to bring electricity to underserved areas nationwide.
Local government officials, including Santa Catalina Mayor Peve Obaniana-Ligan, Siaton acting mayor Vincent Emil Arbolado, and Bacong Mayor Lenin Alviola, expressed their gratitude towards NEA and the Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative for their efforts in implementing the SEP in their municipalities.
Noreco II general manager Fe Marie Dicen-Tagle also shared her optimism regarding the ongoing projects, assuring attendees that following the liquidation process of the 2022 SEP, the 2023 SEP initiatives would commence.
These efforts aim to extend electricity access to even more sitios in the southern part of Negros Oriental, to achieve total electrification by 2028 through NEA’s Accelerated Total Electrification Program, she added in a press release.
As Noreco II continues its mission to empower communities through electrification, the energization of the 32 sitios marked a significant step forward in enhancing the quality of life for Santa Catalina and Siaton residents, she stressed.
Also at the switch-on ceremony were barangay officials from Santa Catalina and Siaton, Noreco II Bayawan sub-area manager Eleuterio Tale Jr., Institutional Services Department manager Derek Erames, other EC officials and employees, and member-consumer-owners. ||
