The Manila Electric Co. and other privately owned distribution utilities (DUs)are excluded from a subsidy program for electricity consumers in rural areas, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) announced on Thursday. But the definition of lifeline consumers varies among ECs, as determined by their respective management within the parameters set by state regulatory agencies. Also, funding the program’s implementation depends on the financial capability of power cooperatives, although some of them have realigned budgets from their certain institutional activities that were cancelled due to the extended ECQ. Pantawid Liwanag is a corporate social responsibility program of the rural electrification sector led by the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc. (Philreca), in cooperation with the National Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives. Power cooperatives are pushing the “philanthropic initiative” in solidarity with the government’s efforts to assist vast number of people in the provinces whose livelihoods and primary sources of income were adversely impacted by Covid-19.

Source: Manila Times April 16, 2020 17:03 UTC