MANILA -- The power bloc at the House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the government to release the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF) to provide support to electric cooperatives (ECs) adversely affected by Typhoon 'Tisoy'.
PHILRECA Rep. Presley de Jesus said an initial fund of PHP750 million shall be sourced from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, as mandated by Republic Act No. 11039, which creates the ECERF to provide an orderly and continuing means of financial assistance to ECs to alleviate the adverse effects of a calamity.
RECOBODA Rep. Godofredo Guya, meanwhile, sought to expedite the implementation of the said law so that it can empower the ECs to “ensure, to the best of their abilities, that there will be uninterrupted power supply come the typhoons.”
Guya cited President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that continuous electricity is a matter of “national security.”
The House bloc hoped for everyone’s safety and reminded the lineworkers, who are “entrusted with the noble task of securing electricity” even in times of calamity, to “prioritize their safety above everything else”.
"We are hoping for the best—that not much destruction would hit us. But we should prepare for the worst possible scenarios and prioritize safety," APEC Rep. Sergio Dagooc said. (PNA)
