ECs mandated to submit ‘disaster response plans’
By Myrna M. Velasco – March 3, 2023, 3:50 PM
from Manila Bulletin
Before the country will be barreled anew by super typhoons or stricken by other disasters, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) has mandated the country’s electric cooperatives (ECs) to submit their respective contingency plans as well as emergency response strategies as part of their requirement in the availment of funds when they would need repair or rehabilitation of their damaged facilities.
The electrification agency has reminded the ECs that is part of their compliance with the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF), which is the key mandate of Republic Act 11039.
The document-submissions decreed on the regional power utilities include those on: vulnerability and risk assessment (VRA), emergency response plan (ERP), mitigation plan (MP) and resiliency compliance plan (RCP).
According to NEA, the updated VRA, MP and ERP for this year “are to be submitted to NEA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (DRRMD) not later than end of March 2023.”
In addition, the power utilities had been directed to “submit the accomplished or the implementation status of the 2022 mitigation projects enumerated/identified by the respective ECs on their 2022 VRA and MP submissions.”
The agency similarly instructed that, in compliance with Section 5.1.2 of the Department of Energy’s Circular No. DC 2022-06-0228, the electric cooperative’s resiliency compliance plan “shall be submitted through NEA for review and consolidation” – and the deadline is slated March 31 this year.
It emphasized that the RCP must be consistent with the Distribution Development Plan (DDP) that shall be submitted by the power utilities in the same year.
The government-run electrification body issued warning to the ECs that “failure to comply and submit the necessary requirements on time will restrict the ECs from accessing the ECERF.”
NEA is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the use and disbursement of the emergency and resiliency fund for the electric cooperatives, as prescribed under the ECERF Law.
In tandem with that edict is also the agency’s role on crafting the comprehensive National Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Plan (NECERP) based on all submissions of the electric coops, that in turn shall form part of the National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Plan (NDRRMP) of the country.
