EC foundation gives P12.1M for Pantawid Program
By Jordeene B. Lagare – May 11, 2020
from The Manila Times
THE One EC Network Foundation, Inc. (OECNF) has pledged P12.1 million to all 121 electric cooperatives (ECs) nationwide for a subsidy program designed for customers in rural areas.
In a statement over the weekend, the foundation said its board of trustees passed a resolution approving a donation of P100,000 to each power co-op for the Pantawid Liwanag program or corporate social responsibility program (CSR) to be implemented by them.
“While the foundation has expressed its full support to the benevolent and altruistic Pantawid Liwanag Program of Philreca (Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc.) and its 121 member-ECs, there is no condition to exclusively donate the P100,000 to the implementation of the CSR program,” said OECNF, Philreca’s corporate social responsibility arm.
Earlier, Philreca said all ECs have initially allotted about P365 million for the initiative that would aid the member-consumer owners of power co-ops that are categorized as lifeline consumers, or those who consume less than 50 kilowatts per hour.
This would benefit at least 3 million customers for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period.
“Different electric cooperatives may have different parameters on how to implement the program, but they all have the common objective of helping member-consumer owners mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic,” it added.
But the definition of lifeline consumers varies among ECs, as determined by their respective management within the parameters set by state regulatory agencies.
Power co-ops have full discretion on how to undertake the program at the grassroots level based on their financial capability and the actual circumstances of their target beneficiaries.
The National Electrification Administration had allowed power co-ops to realign their budget earmarked for some of their institutional activities this year to support the Pantawid Liwanag program.
Pantawid Liwanag is a program initiated by Philreca in cooperation with the National Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives and as approved by the EC Board of Directors under the Philippine Association of Board of Directors of Rural Electric Cooperatives.
