One EC Network Foundation gives P100,000 to BENECO for Pantawid Liwanag

The One EC Network Foundation recently gave BENECO P100,000 to form part of the electric cooperative’s subsidy for consumers who were severely affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

BENECO will use the amount to power its P15.8 million Pantawid Liwanag program that seeks to provide free electricity and discounts to chosen lifeline and residential consumers.

For April, BENECO said that those who used 30 kilowatt hour (kwh) and below need not pay their electricity bill while those who used 31 kwh to 100 kwh will be given a discount of P100. For May, consumers who used P101-200 kwh will enjoy the P100 discount.

All combined, the Pantawid Liwanag program of all ECs has reached P365 million that benefited around three million consumers.

The One EC Network Foundation is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of the Phil. Assn. of Rural Electric Cooperatives (PHILRECA) that counts the country’s 121 electric cooperatives (ECs) as members.

The foundation’s board of trustees decided to release P100,000 for each of the 121 ECs or for a total of P12.1 million.

Administrator Edgardo Masongsong of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said the amount could help ease the ECs budget that were used and realigned to accommodate the cost of the subsidy.

The NEA earlier suspended all the ECs’ district elections and annual general membership assemblies due to the ECQ and the ECs were advised to reallocate the budget for the two activities for the Pantawid Liwanag,

In a virtual meeting with the officers of the foundation on May 11, Masongsong said the decision of the foundation to donate P12.1 million demonstrated the foundation’s sensitivity to the cause of the ECs who had to take a grip of their annual budget to help their consumers enjoy a subsidy.

The One EC Network Foundation was formed to implement CSR programs for member consumer owners (MCOs), Masongsong said.

The foundation also aims to provide assistance to employees and affected leaders of the MCO movement, he added. Meanwhile, the foundation welcomed the donation of P500,000 from the Rural Electrification Financing Corp. (REFC), the financial investment institution of the country’s electric cooperatives.

REFC said the amount is the corporation’s expression of support to the efforts of the One EC Network Foundation to provide assistance MCOs and ECs.

The REFC said it will pledge around P2 million a year to the foundation.