Delay seen in emergency fund for ECs
By Jordeene B. Lagare – December 12, 2019
from The Manila Times
THE implementation of a new law that provides emergency funds for electric cooperatives (ECs) is hampered by insufficient funding from the government, according to the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
On June 29, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) 11039, or the “Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund” (ECERF) act, which aims to help power cooperatives rehabilitate their infrastructure after a natural disaster.
The P750-million fund would be taken initially from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, while NEA is responsible for administering and disbursing the fund.
NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong said in a statement on Wednesday that the full implementation of the law hinges on the lack of funding, because “the initial amount of P750 million which the ECERF law promised to rehabilitate the facilities of disaster-stricken ECs is yet to be provided under the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA).”
“As much as we want to implement the ECERF law, funds are still not available at the moment,” he added.
Amid the delay in the disbursement of funds, Masongsong reported that efforts to speed up the restoration of power in provinces that are still without electricity after Typhoon Tisoy (international name: Kammuri) continue.
“Power line reconstruction to electricity restoration has been done by the NEA in coordination with the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc. and its regional associations in the deployment of line workers,” he added.
ECs from Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the Cordillera Administrative Region have deployed 162 line workers with boom trucks and equipment to assist their fellow power distribution utilities in the typhoon-hit provinces.
Power co-ops from Eastern Visayas also sent about 100 line workers, trucks and equipment to Northern Samar.
ECs from Western Visayas deployed 51 line workers, trucks and equipment to Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro, while Calabarzon power co-ops sent 26 workers with boom trucks and equipment to Oriental Mindoro.
As of writing, electricity was fully restored to 103 typhoon-hit cities and municipalities, while power supply is partially restored to 133 cities and municipalities.
Restoration efforts are still ongoing for the remaining 76 cities and towns, while about 1.083 million households in 17 provinces in Luzon and the Visayas serviced by 27 power co-ops still have no electricity.
Initial cost of damage to EC facilities reached P896.421 million as of Tuesday, NEA said.
