The Electric Cooperatives (ECs) with exemplary performance were recognizedbytheNationalElectrification Administration (NEA) at the 2022 Golden Dagitab Award. ECrepresentatives,mostly General Managers and Board Presidents, attended the occasion held at theNEABuildingin Quezon City on 29 July 2022. Financial, Institutional and Technical Awards were given. These include Lowest SystemLoss,Single Digit System Loss, Best in Collection Efficiency, Green Energy, Sitio EnergizationProgramand Rural Electrification Program Distinction. Special Citations for the following werealsoawarded:Sunshine EC, Most Complying in Audit Observation, Sound Financial Position, HighAGMAAttendance, TESDA Accredited Assessment Center, Best Practices on CorporateSocialResponsibility, Fully Liquidated Subsidy Fund, Advance Payment to NEA, Consistent GreenandCompact of Cooperation. The highlight of the event was the awarding of the Golden Dagitab Award to CebuIII ElectricCooperative, Inc. (CEBECO III) and Bohol I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BOHECOI) for exceptionalperformance in all facets of ECs' operations, exemplary service delivery to its member-consumer-owners (MCOs) and for maintaining a 100-percent performance score for the last fiveyearsormore despite the pandemic and other natural calamities. CEBECO III and BOHECOI aretopperforming ECs since 1984 and 1985, respectively. CEBECO III and BOHECO I were also among the 25 recipients of the Most OutstandingECAward together with ISECO, LUELCO, CAGELCO II, AURELCO, NEECOII-Area1, PENELCO,BATELEC II, TIELCO, CASURECO IV, CAPELCO, ILECO III, BANELCO, CEBECOI,PROSIELCO, BOHECO II, SAMELCO I, ZAMSURECO I, BUSECO, COTELCO, ANECO,SIARELCO, DIELCO and SURSECO I. Region VI, Region VIII and CARAGA Region were named the Best Regions havingall theECsunder these regions rated "AAA" for the last two rating periods. Region III baggedtheMostImproved Region Award while Quirino Electric Cooperative, Inc. (QUIRELCO) washailedastheMost Improved EC. From Category "B," QUIRELCO improved to Category "AAA" inthe2021ECOverall Performance Assessment. The NEA recognized as well the ECs with the Lowest Residential Rates. These wereNEECOII-Area 2 for Luzon, CENECO for the Visayas, LASURECO for Mindanao and DIELCOfor off-gridEC. QUIRELCO, IFELCO, MOPRECO, AURELCO, LUBELCO, BISELCO, BILECO,ZAMSURECO II, FIBECO, SOCOTECO I, SIARELCO and SURSECOI were theECswiththeLeast Number of Consumer Complaints. Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla extended his warm greetings to theECsthroughavideo message. "This is but a reminder to all of us that we have a mission to accomplishforourcountry and our people. Electrification is a major mark of development in the lives of our people and I can assure you that the Department of Energy and the President will fully support ourtargetsto have the electrification of 100 percent households in the Philippines," Secretary Lotillasaid.NEA Administrator Emmanuel Juaneza congratulated all the awardees. "The NEAcommendsallof you for showing resiliency and vigilance in coping with the challenges on the effectsof COVID-19 pandemic, natural calamities and pressing economic and political issues andconcerns,"theAdministrator said. The 2022 Golden Dagitab Award was held in celebration of NEA's 53rd FoundingAnniversaryandthe 13th National Electrification Awareness Month. Last 27-28 July 2022, theagencyalsoconducted the Leadership Development Program and the NEA-EC Consultative Conferencewhichaim to improve the service given by the ECs to its MCOs.###

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. vetoed House Bill No. 10554 or anAct Expandingthe Franchise Area of Davao Light and Power Company, Inc. In a letter addressed to the Senate, President Marcos said he is constrained to vetothebill duetothe susceptibility of the proposed expansion of the franchise area of Davao Light andPowerCompany, Inc. to legal and/or constitutional challenge due to the apparent overlapandpossibleinfringement into the subsisting franchise, permits and contracts previously grantedtoNorthDavao Electric Cooperative, Inc. "North Davao Electric Cooperative, Inc. has existing franchises in the expandedfranchiseareawhich will subsist until 2028 and until 2033. The bill runs counter to the provisions of Section27ofRepublic Act No. 9136 or the EPIRA mandating that "all existing franchises shall beallowedtotheir full term," the President wrote. The President also mentioned that “Echoing the declared national policy in Presidential DecreeNo.269, the total electrification of the Philippines remains vital to the welfare of our peopleandthesound development of the Nation. I remain committed to the pursuit and attainment ofthisobjective in a vigorous and systematic manner, with utmost respect for the concomitant rightsofthe public service entities engaged in supplying electric service, as well as the consumersthereof.”The National Electrification Administration (NEA), which vehemently opposes thebill, alsoasserted Section 27 of EPIRA on its position paper sent to the Committeeof LegislativeFranchises. NEA said that Tagum City, the Island Garden City of Samal, Asuncion, Kapalong,New Corella, San Isidro and Talaingod in Davao del Norte, and Maco in Davao deOrowill remainwith NORDECO as the cooperative has still 11 years before its franchise expires. Moreover, the President added in his veto message that "the resulting repeal of NorthDavaoElectric Cooperative, Inc.'s franchise over the expanded franchise area will violatethenonimpairment clause as provided in Section 10, Article III of the 1987 Constitution. As acknowledgedby the bill, North Davao Electric Cooperative Inc. has "existing power supply agreementswithgeneration companies that are provisionally or finally approved by the EnergyRegulatoryCommission" that will necessarily be terminated or impaired upon the resultingrepeal of NorthDavao Electric Cooperative Inc.'s franchise over the expanded area.” Furthermore, the bill, while on its face, amends the franchise of another entity over theexpandedarea, is prohibited collateral attack on North Davao Electric Cooperative, Inc. franchise. Thisiscontrary to a jurisprudentially settled doctrine that a franchise cannot be subjectedtoa"collateralattack. NEA Administrator Emmanuel Juaneza expressed his gratitude to the President for thevetoofthebill. "We thank the President for upholding the existing NORDECO franchise," the Administratorsaid. NEA attended various public hearings in the House of Representatives and the SenatetoopposeHB 10554. The agency defended the franchise of NORDECO, a vital partner of NEAinachievingtotal electrification and sustainable rural development in the country."###

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) and the 121 electric cooperatives (ECs) were lauded by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles for surpassing the 14-million mark in consumer connections, an important milestone in the government's rural electrification drive. "For the past five decades, NEA has been vital in improving the lives of our people by providing total electrification in our rural areas," Nograles said during the NEA-EC Communicators' Conference held via Zoom on March 6, as he congratulated NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong and the ECs for this accomplishment. "With the electric cooperatives as the agency’s implementing arm in the mandated mission of rural electrification, even in economically unviable areas, the NEA continues to implement the Sitio Electrification Program (SEP)," the Cabinet Secretary added. Data from the NEA Information Technology and Communication Services Department (ITCSD) showed the ECs have connected 522,905 new electricity consumers last year, 14 percent higher than the 460,000 target set by the agency. With this, the NEA ITCSD said the total consumer connections have now reached 14.253 million within the franchise areas of 121 ECs nationwide, while the number of unserved consumers in the ECs' coverage areas is now down to 1,550,510 based on the 2015 census. Meanwhile, Nograles also thanked the NEA and the ECs for responding to the electricity service requirements of the resettlement sites identified by the National Housing Authority (NHA) for super typhoon Yolanda survivors. He specifically mentioned the Pope Francis Village in Tacloban City, which will finally be connected to the power distribution lines of the Leyte II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LEYECO II). The Cabinet Secretary, during the NEA-EC Communicators' Conference last Saturday, also sought the support of the NEA and the 121 electric co-ops nationwide in the campaign against malnutrition and hunger dubbed "Pilipinas Kontra Gutom (PKG)." Organized in November last year, PKG is a multisectoral, anti-hunger movement spearheaded by the government's Task Force Zero Hunger chaired by Nograles

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) surpassed its electricity consumer connections goal for 2020 by 62,905 or 14 percent despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency's Information Technology and Communication Services Department (ITCSD) reported that the electric cooperatives (ECs) have connected over 522,905 new electricity consumers last year, 14 percent higher than the 460,000 corporate target. "This achievement reflects the hard work and commitment of the NEA and the 121 electric cooperatives to provide and extend electricity services to Filipinos living in rural areas even though faced with challenges posed by the pandemic," NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong said. The 2020 figures brought the total consumer connections to 14,253,053 within the franchise areas of the 121 ECs nationwide. The number of unserved consumers in the rural areas is now down to 1,550,510 based on the 2015 census, the NEA ITCSD said. Broken down, the NEA data revealed that 47 percent of the total consumer connections, or 6.682 million, are located in Luzon; 27 percent or 3.788 million are in the Visayas; and 26 percent or 3.783 million are in Mindanao. The data also showed that Batangas II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BATELEC II) contributed most to the overall accomplishment with 341,252 connections, followed by South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SOCOTECO II) with 274,239 connections. Also in the top five ECs are Albay Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ALECO) with 273,668 connections, Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CENPELCO) with 268,830, and Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CENECO) with 247,744 connections. Meanwhile, Negros Occidental ranked first among the provinces with highest number of consumer connections at 634,092, followed by Pangasinan at 580,805, then Batangas at 525,229, Cebu at 523,109, and Leyte at 474,259 consumer connections

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) helped the electric cooperative (EC) servicing Quezon province hit by recent typhoons with the provision of P20.138 million in calamity loan. The Quezon I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (QUEZELCO I) availed of the NEA calamity loan for the repair and rehabilitation of its power distribution systems damaged by typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses last year. This brings the total calamity loans to electric co-ops to P23.460 million as of end-February 2021, data released by the NEA Accounts Management and Guarantee Department (AMGD) showed. In January, the NEA released P3.322 million to Marinduque Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MARELCO) for the reconstruction of its damage power distribution facilities due to the previous typhoons. The loan offered by the NEA to ECs adversely affected by calamities has a maximum 10-year repayment term, with a grace period of one year and an interest rate of 3.25 percent per annum. Meanwhile, the NEA AMGD data also showed that the Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (DANECO) applied for a loan amounting to P4.508 million to finance its capital expenditure (CapEx) projects. ###