NEA marks new milestone with off-grid homestead electrification

  • GENERAL SANTOS CITY, South Cotabato—Despite light rains and muddy terrains,
    the National Electrification Administration (NEA) made it to the upland villages of
    Malungon, Sarangani to mark the official energization of the 13-millionth household
    consumer connection of electric cooperatives (ECs) in the country.
    NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong traveled to one of the farthest off-grid
    communities of the province on Friday (July 12) to lead the ceremonial switch-on of
    the solar home systems (SHS) distributed among the residents of Sitio Kitbog in
    Barangay Poblacion.
    This is a first in the history of rural electrification, as the million milestone household
    connections the NEA and its partner ECs celebrated in the past were all connected
    to power distribution grids.
    Feliza Pangilan, a 76-year old farmer and member of the B’laan tribe, is the 13-
    millionth EC member-consumer-owner under the care of the South Cotabato II
    Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SOCOTECO-II).
    Her house, which sits on a mountainous landscape, is now brightened by a basic
    SHS unit equipped with a small solar panel, battery, charge controller, LED lights,
    transistor radio and a universal outlet for charging mobile phones.
    Masongsong admitted that bringing power to the hardest-to-reach “last mile”
    communities is not an easy task, as logistical, financial and topographical problems
    in the implementation of the rural electrification program remain across the country.
    “This magnifies the biggest challenge we are facing to achieve the target of 100
    percent total household electrification by 2022, since the Philippines is an
    archipelagic country,” he said in his speech.
    But with the support of the national government and international agencies, the NEA
    continues to explore different strategies such as establishing mini-grids and
    providing small-scale power solutions to extend electrification services to other
    missionary areas.
    Electrifying Sitio Kitbog was made possible under the Photovoltaic Mainstreaming
    Program of the Department of Energy (DOE) funded by the European Union-Access
    to Sustainable Energy Programme (EU-ASEP) through World Bank.
    As an attached agency of the DOE, the NEA administered the project across
    Mindanao through its partnership with the ECs. Around 2,500 households in
    Malungon, including Pangilan, benefitted from the program with the assistance of
    SOCOTECO-II.
  • “Small-scale, distributed solar home systems provide an effective and affordable way
    to bring light to people without electricity… Though small in power, solar home
    systems can bring immense changes to the lives of the people it serves,”
    Masongsong said.
    Before electricity, Pangilan had been using torches for lighting. After decades of
    living in the dark, she is now grateful for the solar panels that light up not only her
    home but that of her neighbors as well.
    Speaking in Sarangani B’laan, she thanked the NEA, DOE, SOCOTECO-II and
    everyone involved in the project for choosing their community as among the
    beneficiaries of the ASEP in the country.
    SOCOTECO-II general manager Crisanto Sotelo, meanwhile, is proud to have been
    part of this milestone in the history of rural electrification, adding that his EC remains
    committed to improve its 63-percent electrification level.
    The non-profit distribution utility serves General Santos City, Sarangani, and the
    municipalities of Tupi and Polomolok in South Cotabato. SOCOTECO-II plans to
    issue additional 7,500 SHS units to other remote households within its franchise
    area.
    For her part, Malungon Mayor Maria Theresa Constantino also expressed gratitude
    to SOCOTECO-II and the national government for reaching out to the indigenous
    communities of her municipality and helping to address their needs.
    “We will be responsible for the sustainability of this program. And by sustaining this,
    God will be glorified, he will pour out blessings upon this town,” she said, hoping that
    more social projects will come to Malungon for its development.
    Malungon, incidentally, celebrates its 50th founding anniversary this year just like the
    NEA. For the past five decades, the rural electrification agency and its partner ECs
    have energized a total of 90 cities, 1,385 municipalities and 36,057 barangays
    nationwide.
    Based on a 2015 census of 15,416,144 potential households, 85 percent or
    13,027,402—translating to nearly 61 million Filipinos in the countryside—are
    currently enjoying the benefits of electricity. ###

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