Gov't. allots P1.89B for NEA electrification programs
The Marcos Jr. administration is lighting up more than a thousand communities nationwide, which is included in the National Electrification Administration (NEA)'s P1.89 billion budget for 2023.
NEA is an attached agency of the Department of Energy (DOE).
NEA's budget, appropriated under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA), will fund the agency's programs, including the Barangay/Sitio Electrification Project, Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency, and Installation of Solar Panels in Public Buildings.
"When we say we want to uplift the lives of the Filipino people, we mean all Filipinos, even those in the farthest barangays or sitios. And we cannot achieve socio-economic improvement in these areas if their communities remain unelectrified. Kaya siniguro po natin na may pondo ang mga programa na magpapa-ilaw lalo na sa mga malalayong lugar," said Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secreatry Amenah F. Pangandaman.
Among the NEA programs, the Barangay/Sitio Electrification Project will have the biggest fund, P1.68 billion this year. The project aims to provide electricity to some 1,140 sitios all over the country.
Special Provision in the 2023 GAA says the Barangay/Sitio Electrification Project shall prioritize barangays/sitios where an absolute number of indigents and the incidence of poverty are high as identified in the latest official poverty statistics of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as well as those with the high probability of having electricity.
"This program of the Energy Department will also support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s goal to ensure that energy in the country is affordable, sustainable, secure, and sufficient, especially during calamities and emergencies," Secretary Pangandaman added. (DBM/PIA Caraga)
