Villar vows to push Omnibus Power bill

A staggering 25 percent of the country's barangays still live in the "dark ages" due to the non-availability of power services in these places, Speaker Manny B. Villar said yesterday. Villar vowed to push the passage of the Omnibus Power bill, currently being tackled in the House of Representatives, that will help provide electric services in even the remotest regions in the country.

"Electrification is a vital component of development as this is one of the necessary infrastructure requirements that will help create jobs and growth opportunities for Filipinos," he said.

Villar said that one of the features of the Omnibus Power bill, which aims to open up the energy industry is that it will require new players to put up facilities even in rural countryside locations deemed as "non-viable areas" as a pre-requisite to awarding them concessions to operate in more profitable locations.

The bill is expected to lower the electric bill of the ordinary Filipino by heightening competition with the entry of new players. It also proposes the privatization of the state-owned National Power Corporation (NPC) which has been suffering billions of pesos in yearly losses.

"It is sad that some of our countrymen do not even enjoy the benefits of electricity," Villar said, as he vowed to support the government's full electrification program for the country.

The high cost of energizing unviable areas and the inadequacy of government financing for rural infrastructure, Villar said continues to impede the total electrification goal.

"That is why we want to bring in needed investments to service these areas in exchange for being given highly profitable urban areas to service," he said.

Villar pointed out that lack of electricity impedes enterprise development, and job creation is severely constrained, thus encouraging rural to urban migration. Leading to the congestion of cities and heightening urban poverty.

"We are committed to ensuring that the benefits of electric services will reach down to even the remotest regions of our country as can be seen by our efforts to pass the Omnibus Power Bill," Villar assured.