The National Electrification Administration (NEA) will be honoring on April 28, 2017 a number of electric cooperatives (ECs) that have shown exemplary performance in implementing their rural electrification projects.
Commendations in different categories will be presented to a select crop of AAA-rated ECs, general managers, board presidents, and partner institutions at the 2017 Lumens Awards for their valuable contributions to the advancement of the Rural Electrification Program.
The recipients of all the major awards this year were chosen based on their final scores in the 2016 EC Overall Performance Assessment, track record over the last three years, consumer connections made, implementation of the Sitio Electrification Program (SEP), and other best practices.
Special awards will also be conferred on excellent ECs that acquired reputable achievements in terms of keeping a single-digit system loss average, registering high collection efficiency, establishing compliance in the audit evaluation, and gaining the highest level of consumer connections.
At the same time, top-performing ECs will be given citations for empowering their respective member-consumer-owners (MCO) to actively participate in the corporate decision-making process and other operations of the ECs.
The NEA will likewise pay tribute to rural electric companies that put women in their Board of Directors and those that established best practices on corporate socialresponsibility related to lifeline income augmentation and environmental protection.
Power coops that generated the lowest electricity rate, received the least number of complaints, had fully liquidated subsidy fund for rural electrification, and served as NEA’s reliable partners in the Agency’s capacity-building programs will also be given special citations.
Additionally, ECs that have been fully compliant on reportorial requirements for two consecutive years (2015-2016), as well as those which were able to build model headquarters and facilities, will be acknowledged.
On top of these, a Certificate of Appreciation will be awarded to ECs, private-investor owned utilities, and other institutions that took part in the Task Force Kapatid of NEA in the wake of typhoons ‘Ferdie,’ ‘Lawin,’ and ‘Nina’ that hit the country last year.
Task Force Kapatid is a special team organized by the Agency following the onslaught of natural disasters to provide manpower and technical assistance in rehabilitating damaged electric distribution systems for the immediate restoration of power in the affected areas.
NEA Chief Edgardo Masongsong will be handing out the awards and special citations in a ceremony to be held at the Big 8 Corporate Hotel in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
“It is my honor to present the awards for the electric cooperatives that have shown tremendous excellence in the service of their MCOs. I hope they will strive to sustain the gains they have made in the years to come,” he said.
The Lumens Awards will be granted for the last time this year to open a new chapter of EC Recognition and Awards starting Calendar Year 2018.
NEA introduced the Lumens Awards in April 2007, and is one of the most-awaited activities in the 47-year history of the Rural Electrification Program.