TACLOBAN CITY – Electricity cooperatives in Eastern Visayas have set aside a subsidy of PHP18.84 million for the discounted payments of the region’s 246,652 poor power consumers, who are affected by movement restrictions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak.
Allan Laniba, president of the Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives (AGMEC) in Eastern Visayas said in a press briefing here on Friday that the region’s 11 power distribution facilities are finding ways to finance the “Pantawid Liwanag” program for poor consumers.
In the region, qualified power consumers are people who live below the poverty line and use electricity not exceeding 15 kWh to 20 kWh.
The subsidy covers power consumption during the quarantine period.
“Instead of giving food packs and personal protective equipment, we thought of providing relief to the people that other groups could not give, and that is through subsidized electricity bill,” said Laniba, general manager of two electric cooperatives in Leyte province.
He said cooperatives have realigned their budget allocation for some institutional activities to support this cause.
Laniba clarified that funds would not be drawn from their operational expenses and this would not affect their financial obligations to their power suppliers and transmission providers.
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 in curbing the socioeconomic impact of the Covid-19 crisis 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 for electricity consumers, the cancellation of surcharges on late payments, and power disconnections for consumers who fail to pay on time. (PNA)
