Napocor reduces power outages in off-grid areas

MANILA, Philippines - State-run National Power Corp. (Napocor) has successfully reduced the incidence of power outages in far-flung areas around the country not connected to the main grid.

In an interview with The STAR, Napocor president Ma. Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita said these areas, classified under Napocor’s Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG), have frequently registered  blackouts in the past.

 “The weekly blackouts monitoring of our 291 SPUG nationwide have registered fewer and fewer blackout from 14 to 17 per week when it started to four to seven areas per week,” said Sta. Rita.

By the end of the year, Napocor would be able to commission a total 100 units of generator sets with a combined capacity of 21.1 megawatts for the SPUG areas, she said.

And before her term ends in 2016, Sta. Rita said the target is for all SPUG areas to have enough reserves to help ensure there would be no more blackouts.

Sta. Rita is now on her second year as president and CEO of Napocor. 

Asked about her leadership style, Sta. Rita said: “On my first day with the employees in 2013, I said, ‘I promise to hold dear in my heart this company and this family; bearing in mind that I come here as your president and your mother.’ And I would like to believe I did just that,” she said.

However, she said steering Napocor to where it is now did not come easy.

 “When I came in in August 2013, people were saying that the company was at the end of its days,” she recalled.

Last year, Napocor posted a net income of P1.5 billion, five times higher than its 2012 income, which Sta. Rita attributed to collection efficiency. 

“We were able to raise the bar of collection efficiency nationwide to a steady 96 percent from 86 percent in 2012. By the end of 2015, I believe we can surpass our 2014 accomplishments,” she said.

Moving forward, she said she would continue with her brand of leadership to stir Napocor to even greater heights.

 “For me leadership knows no gender and boundaries. You can do anything if you put your mind into it, if you work hard and if you take that responsibility seriously. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg once said that leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence. It bears a striking resemblance to my current management goal in Napocor,” she said.

She said as a woman leader in today’s society, she reaffirms the vital role of women and the need for their full and equal participation and leadership in all areas of sustainable development. 

“Together with our male counterparts, I think leaders in this country should be drivers of sustainable development and work towards economic and social advancement,” she said.