Gov’t accelerates rural electrification program

Manila Bulletin
Published: July 28, 2013
With a budget of P7.38 billion, the government via the National Electrification Administration (NEA) resolved to accelerate the electrification program that it is targeting to complete before the end of President Aquino’s term.
Energy Secretary and NEA Board chairman Carlos Jericho L. Petilla said the sitios to be electrified will be around 33,000 by 2015.
By then, energization of even the far-flung areas will be almost complete, he said, except for the new sitios that will sprout due to population growth or expansion of communities.
The target this year, according to the energy chief will be 10,394 sitios, higher by more than 3,000 from the original goal of 7,000 sitios.
Petilla explained that if the 2015 completion target will have to be achieved, the government must start accelerating the sitio electrification initiatives this year.
According to NEA, the completed energization as of June 2013 stood at 898 sitios, but roughly 5,000 are already under implementation.
The electrification agency noted that this year’s target is “highly achievable.” Somehow, that will be a jump from last year’s 6,163 sitios that were electrified.
With this year’s anticipated electrification level, the aggregate number of sitios provided with electricity access will already reach 18,077.
By 2014, the target will be additional 7,107 sitios to bring electrification mark to 25,184; and in 2015, there will be another 7,257 sitios to be energized.
The Aquino administration’s sitio electrification program was stepped up from 1,520 sitios in 2011.
This is considered a follow-through to the barangay electrification program that the previous administrations have aggressively pushed.
For next year, the budget for sitio electrification will be P4.548 billion; and for 2015, the allocation will be at P4.644 billion. (MMV)   source