TUNGA, Leyte, May 19 — The Federation of Rural Electric Cooperatives in Region 8 (FRECOR 8) launched recently the Pantawid Liwanag Program dubbed, “Kuryente Mo, Libre ng Electric Coop Mo” which will benefit some 246,652 lifeline electric consumers.

The Pantawid Liwanag Program was announced last Wednesday by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles during the IATF press briefing.

The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (PHILRECA), Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) and the National Association of General Managers (NAGMEC) spearheaded this CSR activity as an answer to government’s call and to support and provide assistance to the people affected by COVID-19 global pandemic.

According to NAGMEC President Allan Laniba, the “Pantawid Liwanag Program” aims to ease the burden of those who have less in life, the less fortunate MCOs who are our Lifeline Electric Consumers, in paying their electric consumption in these trying times.

The Region 8 electric coops will be spending nearly P19 million of their own funds to implement the program all over the region, he said.

Lifeline Electric Consumers as defined under RA 9136 (EPIRA), are those consumers who are marginalized end-users referring to low-income, captive, household electricity consumers who have levels of electricity consumption below a threshold.

In the region, the threshold for a lifeliner is 20kwh for a big coop and 15kwh for the small ones.

Laniba added that the budget that will be used by the electric cooperatives are taken from the coops’ fund for institutional programs and activities which has been suspended or cancelled in view of the crisis.

As of this writing, all 11 electric cooperatives in the region already posted via social media their guidelines on the implementation of their respective Pantawid Liwanag Program.

The 11 electric cooperatives in the region are: DORELCO, LEYECO II, LEYECO III, LEYECO IV, LEYECO V, SOLECO, BILECO, NORSAMELCO, SAMELCO I, SAMELCO II and ESAMELCO.