More power, more economic opportunities.
This according to Senate President Koko Pimentel III, who said that the prioritization of Mindanao electrification efforts would help improve the standard of living and provide more economic opportunities in the South.
Pimentel said this in response to recent pronouncements by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) that 705 sitios are targetted to benefit this year from the 705 million pesos set aside by the agency for the energization of households in unserved small and remote communities in the region.
“There are an estimated 2.8 million households in the country without electricity, according to the Department of Energy. Of this number, over half, or 1.44 million households, can be found in Mindanao. So it is very clear that we have to prioritize this region,” Pimentel stressed.
“It is reassuring to know that government initiatives are reflective of, and responsive to, the needs of our people. Due to armed conflict in the area, a large part of Mindanao has yet to be reached by electricity services despite numerous attempts by cooperatives; this has to be addressed,” said the senator from Mindanao.
A large part of Mindanao has yet to be reached by electricity services despite numerous attempts.
The direct connection between development and electricity cannot be over-emphasized, according to Pimentel, as he called for significant increase in government support to finance electrification projects in areas previously suffering from “economic trauma from armed conflict” in remote Mindanao communities.
“It is an established fact that electricity drives economic activity as it can drastically change a community’s outlook,” according to Pimentel.
Investing in the countrysides, Pimentel explained, was also consistent with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directives to “spur economic development outside the major urban centers like Metro Manila.”
NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong recently said 1.817 billion pesos has been allotted to provide electricity to 1,817 sitios across the country this year. The majority of these target communities are located in Mindanao, with 705 sitios, followed by Luzon with 560 sitios, and Visayas with 552 sitios.
Pimentel said the NEA must step up efforts to encourage the private sector to aid government electrification initiatives, “but a balance must be struck as to who among new private utilities and franchised electric cooperatives will serve these areas.”
A balance must be struck as to who among new private utilities and franchised electric cooperatives will serve these areas.
“If private companies really want to go into electrification, let them do it in ARMM communities where most of the unelectrified households in Mindanao are. I believe existing electric cooperatives should welcome this development.”