DOE and AboitizPower partner to support host communities through ER 1-94

June 18, 2015

Some 86 barangays from 31 municipalities in the country continue to enjoy their share of the revenues of AboitizPower plants through the Energy Regulation (ER) 1-94 funds, which has funded electricity, livelihood opportunities, and support for health and environment enhancement initiatives.

A policy under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2011, ER 1-94 stipulates that host communities will get a share of one centavo for every kilowatt-hour produced by power generation plants (P0.01/kWh).

This fund, through the management of the Department of Energy (DOE) will be used by the communities to fund programs such as electrification of communities that have no access to electricity, development and livelihood, as well as reforestation, watershed management, health and environment enhancement.

By utilizing the electrification fund, 3,807 households in Davao Light and and Visayan Electric Co. franchise areas have been supplied with electricity, helping them improve their daily lives as well as their business.

Additionally, LED streetlights have also been installed to help brighten roads of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Bagabag in Nueva Vizcaya, and Barangay Joroan in Tiwi, Albay through the development and livelihood fund.

17 mostly farm-to-market roads were concretized, making travel easier and the transport of products faster in Laguna, Batangas, Benguet, and Agusan del Norte.

ER 1-94 projects also promote education and through the fund, three public school buildings were built, and improved local government services through the rehabilitation of three barangay halls in Albay and Ifugao. Both projects support the policy’s development and livelihood projects.

Moreover, cattle dispersal projects were set up to provide sustainable livelihood for the communities of Batangas and Ifugao.

11 water and irrigation systems in Batangas, Laguna, Ifugao, and Benguet have been constructed and improved with the help of the reforestation, watershed management, health and environment enhancement fund for the basic facilities and daily needs of communities.

The fund has also helped address heath care needs of the communities through the procurement of four ambulances, medical supplies, and rehabilitation of eight health centers and hospitals in Laguna, Ifugao, and Navotas.

In addition, Ifugao, Albay, and Compostela Valley communities were recipients of dump trucks while the community abattoirs have also been constructed together with rehabilitation of drainages and line canals that help protect our environment and provide for their health and safety needs. (abattoirs are slaughterhouses)

Alongside this, trees were planted and plant nurseries were set up as a means of income and food source of Northern Luzon communities.

“We are grateful for the full cooperation of the local government units (LGUs) and the leadership of DOE to ensure utilization of ER 1-94 funds for the benefit of our host communities,” shared AboitizPower President and COO Antonio R. Moraza.

AboitizPower remains true to its commitment to be the neighbor of choice of its stakeholders by enriching the quality of lives of its host and neighboring communities through its Corporate and Social Responsibility programs and the utilization of the ER 1-94 fund.

Likewise, DOE continues to promote harmony and cooperation among LGUs, host regions, and power producers to ensure equitable preferential benefits for Filipino communities.