The Department of Energy (DOE) is tapping the help of local electric cooperatives in the implementation of the government’s Sitio Electrification and Barangay Line Enhancement programs until 2015.

DOE Sec. Jericho Petilla said President Benigno Aquino III has allocated P 36 billion for this program and so far, they have provided electricity to 50 percent of the target areas especially those located in hinter barangays.

Petilla has encouraged all electric cooperatives to make available ‘online’ all the information about them as well as their policies so that customers would find it easy to deal with them.

There are seven cooperatives in Panay Island. They are Iloilo Electric Power Corporation 1, Ileco 2, Ileco 3, Antique Electric Cooperative (Anteco), Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco), Capiz Electric Cooperative (Capelco), and a 3.4-megawatt power plant in Guimaras.

However, Petilla said the plan will not materialize if there are no investors for power plants.

“We will make all the documents transparent for the investors so that they will trust us enough to invest and put up power plants in any area in the country,” he said during his courtesy call to Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor, Sr. recently.

He added that having more power plants constructed in the island would lower electricity rates in Panay.

He said our electricity rates here are expensive, next to Manila.

There are three existing power plants in Panay Island. They are Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) in Lapuz, La Paz district, Iloilo City; the 164-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Dingle, Iloilo; and the 15-megawatt diesel power plant in Panitan, Capiz.

Petilla said these power plants are not enough to address the inadequate power supply in Panay but he is thankful that two more coal-fired power plants in Iloilo are now under construction.

One is at Brgy. Nipa, Concepcion under the Palm Concepcion Power Corporation which will be inaugurated on Dec. 5, 2012 while the other one will be added to an existing power plant in Iloilo City.

In Iloilo alone, there are 36,908 households in 18 towns that have no electricity, based on the assessment of the Iloilo Provincial Population Office.

They are Badiangan, Balasan, Banate, Bingawan, Cabatuan, Carles, Concepcion, Duenas, Dumangas, Guimbal, Janiuay, Lambunao, Maasin, Mina, Pototan, San Enrique and San Miguel.

The assessment of the remaining 24 towns is ongoing.

To date, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) has powered 1,475 municipalities and cities, 36,049 barangays and 81,736 sitios, thus benefitting 9.46 million households or about 47 million Filipinos nationwide.*