The National Electrification Administration (NEA) said electric cooperatives (ECs) are working on a program to subsidizing the electricity needs of poor Filipino consumers following the two-week extension of the enhanced community quarantine.
NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong said the proposed electricity subsidy program, dubbed as ‘Pantawid Liwanag,’ targets poor Filipino electricity consumers in the countryside whose primary sources of income and livelihoods have been severely disrupted by the coronavirus crisis.
‘Pantawid Liwanag’ is a corporate social responsibility program led by the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc. (PHILRECA)
“To show solidarity in dealing with this crisis, the electric cooperatives are exploring all means to continuously deliver electricity services to their respective consumers, as well as mitigate the cost of electric consumption by accessing funds for the design and implementation of ‘Pantawid Liwanag,’” Masongsong said.
The ‘Pantawid Liwanag’ is a corporate social responsibility program led by the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc. (PHILRECA) to be one with the government’s efforts to curb the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the poorest of the poor.
This is in addition to the steps already taken by the power distribution utilities, such as the 30-day payment extension to electricity consumers and the cancellation of surchages on late payments and power disconnections for consumers who failed to pay on time.
To date, there are over 90 ECs in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that implemented the 30-day grace period for consumers to settle their electricity bills.
The enhanced community quarantine in the entire island of Luzon, which the national government declared on March 16, was set to end on April 12. However, President Rodrigo Duterte extended the quarantine period to 11:59 P.M.