Corporate Social Responsibility Davao Light Power Distribution

Davao Light linemen become certified TESDA assessors

October 19, 2022

Fourteen linemen from Davao Light and Power Co. Inc., an AboitizPower subsidiary, obtained their National Certification II for Electric Power Distribution Line from the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA) - Region XI after undergoing a two-day competency assessment at Davao Light’s Maa Training Center, Davao City.

Additionally, Davao Light’s Training Officer, Leo Claros, passed TESDA's Provincial Lead Assessment for Davao City and Davao del Sur and is the first lead assessor of TESDA in the Davao Region. Claros is now qualified to assess other linemen training for national certification in Region XI.

“Our dream is for you to become a role model with whom TESDA can share its expertise to train, assess, and come up with more qualified workers in [Electric Power Distribution Line]. We’ve all studied this, we’ve experienced it in our job, and we’d like you to transfer what you have learned to the younger generation so that [Davao City] will always have linemen,” Adonis Culas, the Davao City Provincial Director of TESDA XI said in his speech.

During the two-day assessment, the linemen took a written examination and then demonstrated their skills by erecting a utility pole using a pole pipe. After erecting the utility pole, the linemen installed construction units, transformers, and service wires so that the electricity can reach the consumers. Lastly, the linemen had undergone oral questioning regarding their output.

“We performed to the best of our abilities and finally passed the assessment. There were a few hurdles along the way, but we all continued to perform - we easily adapt and overcome challenges because that is the heart of a lineman,” Leo Claros, the Provincial Lead Assessor for Davao City and Davao del Sur, shared during the recognition ceremony.

In 2016, Davao Light and Aboitiz Foundation partnered with TESDA to set up a lineman training facility at TESDA Regional Training Center - KorPhil in Tibungco, Davao City. It is the first TESDA lineman training center in Mindanao. The partnership included the refurbishment and equipping of TESDA’s Electrical Installation and Maintenance Workshop Laboratory.

Davao Light operates as the third largest privately-owned electric distribution utility in the Philippines in terms of customer size and annual kWh sales. Davao Light’s area covers a population of about 1.8 million with a total of 467,933 customers in its franchise area of 3,561 square kilometers.