BALANGA City, Bataan – The National Electrification Administration on Tuesday announced that it is implementing the “Sitio Energization Program” of President Benigno Aquino III. It aims to provide electricity to more than 33,000 sitios all over the country, mostly in Mindanao.
“The President wants all the sitios with electricity before his term ends in 2017 and has allocated funds yearly for the purpose,” NEA Administrator Edita Bueno said.
She said that the chief executive wants village dwellers to have the comfort as regards to power requirements like those of urban inhabitants. There are 103,000 sitios in the country, more than 69,000 have access to electricity.
Bueno said that for 2012, a budget of P2.5 billion has been earmarked for the electrification of 5,000 sitios. At P1 million per sitio, P33-billion is needed to energize the remaining 33,000 sitios, she said.
The administrator with NEA’s Board of Administrators led in the launching of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and the ceremonial switch-on in the electrification of eight sitios in Bataan.
Noel Gaspar of Sitio Gasak in Hermosa, Bataan said they used to have “gasera” for their lighting. “Malaking pag-unlad para sa amin na nabigyan kami ng liwanag,” he said.
Under the Peninsula Electric Cooperative (Penelco), Bataan gains the distinction of being the first province in the country with 100 percent barangays and sitios energized. Penelco is the first electric cooperative to have at least one substation per town. It posted a one-digit system loss.
Bueno announced that on NEA’s anniversary this week to be held in Davao City, Penelco will be awarded for the third consecutive year “Best Electric Cooperative”. The coop’s General Manager Loreto Marcelino will be named “Best GM”.
For this achievement Penelco and Marcelino will be placed in NEA’s “Hall of Fame”.
