THE Energy and Public Works and Highways Departments signed on Monday a circular to guide the compensation of electric cooperatives whose power facilities will be affected by government construction.
The joint circular prescribes uniform guidelines and procedures for the proper payment of compensation or recovery of cost in the event of the need to relocate distribution or sub-transmission lines of electric cooperatives.
Public Works Undersecretary Karen Jimeno, representing Secretary Mark Villar, and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi signed the circular.
“We have to address situations where the facilities of electric cooperatives need to be relocated due to government projects, such as road-widening, bridge construction, among others, and provide a unified mechanism for reasonable compensation to them for every affected facility,” Cusi said.
The circular states that the government agency implementing a public works project must coordinate during with the National Electrification Administration and electric cooperatives to address all right-of-way concerns related to the affected facility, including claims for compensation and determination of relocation sites.
“This joint initiative is in cognizance of the need to provide continuous, adequate and reliable electricity services to consumers while government projects are underway,” Cusi said.
The circular also provides an appropriate formula in the determination of proper compensation to the electric cooperatives for the cost of the removal of affected facility.
“With this joint circular, we will be able to accelerate and expand access to electricity services by our people,” Cusi said.
The government plans to spend billions of pesos in infrastructure under the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build program.