Visayan Electric launches free house-wiring project

CEBU, Philippines — The Visayan Electric officially launched its free house-wiring project yesterday (September 8) through a switch-on ceremony held in Barangay Cabungahan, City of Naga, Cebu.

The initiative is part of the Department of Energy’s ER 1-94 Program, aimed at delivering electrification benefits to communities hosting power generation facilities.

Twenty-six families in Cabungahan are the first beneficiaries of the project in Central Visayas.

The free house wiring, which typically costs around P12,000 to P13,000 if done privately, was made possible through a partnership among Visayan Electric, the DOE, and Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO).

The ER 1-94 program, established under Republic Act No. 7638, mandates that power generation companies allocate P0.01 per kilowatt-hour of electricity sales to fund electrification, development, and environmental projects in host communities.

As one of KEPCO’s host cities, Naga benefits directly from the program.

Visayan Electric has received over P28 million in Electrification Funds from the DOE under this program, with KEPCO as one of the main contributors.

A recent survey conducted by Visayan Electric had identified 3,933 potential beneficiary households. The first phase of program implementation will cover 2,013 households—1,925 in Naga City and 718 in neighboring San Fernando town.

“Ang ER1-94 program gimugna sa gobyerno aron makatabang sa mga komunidad, labi na sa mga panimalay nga nagkinahanglan ug house-wiring aron masugaan,” said Nico Arancillo, AVP for Engineering–Tech Support of Visayan Electric during the event.

Many families, Arancillo explained, have struggled to comply with the requirements due to the high costs and difficulties in securing permits. To address this, Visayan Electric partnered with local government units (LGUs) and other government offices to assist applicants in completing the process.

“Ang programa sa ER 1-94 naghatag og paglaum sa daghang benepisyaryo nga sa katapusan masugaan na ang ilang panimalay,” Arancillo added.

Several beneficiaries expressed their gratitude for the program, noting tahat for many of them, it was the first time they truly experienced what it meant to have their own electricity after years of living without it. — (FREEMAN)