“Reliable and affordable electricity is key to the socio-economic progress of every local community.”
“Reliable and affordable electricity is key to the socio-economic progress of every local community.”
There appears to be a not-so-silent “revolt” in the regions against rural power cooperatives.
The “revolt” did not escape the attention of President Duterte himself.
The President was in Palawan recently where he publicly lambasted the local power distributors for subjecting Palaweños to decades of suffering. Duterte issued what appeared to be the “final warning” against such mediocre entities.
Besides the Palawan power distributors, about four other rural power coops in Visayas and Mindanao are apparently up for an “overthrow” in this not-so-silent revolt.
It is important to note that the House of Representatives has an important role to play in this “revolt.” The eyes of the suffering public are now on the legislators’ next moves. They hope that the Committee on Legislative Franchises led by Palawan solon Franz “Chicoy” Alvarez could put the last nail on the coffin of these well-entrenched rural power coops which miserably failed their customers.
Among those in the spotlight is the rural power coop serving several towns in Davao del Norte and Tagum City—right next door to President Duterte’s hometown of Davao City. According to media reports, the clamor of the residents and business communities of these areas has been heard by their respective local government leaders who have already filed several resolutions for the removal of the rural power coop and its replacement by a private sector power distribution utility.
Last we heard, the leaders of Davao del Norte and Tagum City have made significant headway in their bid to obtain the services of the Davao City-based Davao Light and Power Company.
Party-list Representative Francisco Garbin, Jr. has already filed a bill amending the franchise of Davao Light which will pave the way for the expansion of its services outside of its current assigned service area.
What baffles the Tagumeños and the people of Davao del Norte is why the Legislative Franchise Committee headed by Alvarez has not yet started deliberation on the Garbin bill.
It is interesting that another Alvarez—former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte’s First District—has already asked Congress to cancel the legislative franchise it gave to the ailing power coop serving that province and Tagum City.
Even more interesting, the franchise of the other power coop serving Davao del Norte has also been already earlier recommended for cancellation by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Jr. The said coop was part of Cusi’s list of “underperforming, financially and technically distressed electric cooperatives” in the country.
We recall that these underperforming coops had earned the ire of the Department of Energy for their apparent reluctance or inability to complete the rural electrification process by connecting far-flung sitios and island-barangays to their power distribution grid. It looks like these coops cannot even be expected to give decent basic power distribution service to the areas already connected to their grid.
With the move to have the franchise of the Davao del Norte coop canceled, it seems like the people of the province and Tagum City can now look forward to more reliable and more reasonably-priced electricity distribution service from Davao Light.
All that is needed now is for the Chicoy Alvarez-led committee to pass the Garbin bill.
Once that happens, Congress is set to lend proof to its promise to give Filipinos in the countryside the “power of choice”.
The ailing power coops should have anticipated that it will be just a matter of time when the rest of Davao del Norte and Tagum City would make a decisive move to end the sad plight in their hands and opt for a service provider like Davao Light which can give them efficient power supply at a cheaper price.
Congress’ action on the Garbin bill will likewise spare President Duterte from a major embarrassment.
It is unthinkable that a Davaoeño President whose native city had enjoyed reliable power distribution services was unable to provide the same to the nearby cities and municipalities.
Reliable and affordable electricity is key to the socio-economic progress of every local community. Davao Light’s presence in the President’s hometown has been a major factor in the rise of Davao City as a hub of social and commercial activities in Southern Mindanao.
Congress should now allow Davao City’s neighbors to enjoy the same. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)
