Power co-op emergency fund measure enacted
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law Republic Act 11039, or the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF), which aims to help these power firms rehabilitate their infrastructure after a natural disaster.
The P750-million fund will be taken initially from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF), while the National Electrification Administration (NEA) will manage and disburse it.
The ECERF will be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
In case the fund runs low, the state-run electrification agency can seek a supplementary budget from the NDRRMF subject to the President’s approval, according to the law.
The President signed the measure and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea transmitted it to Speaker
Pantaleon Alvarez on June 29. It was released to the media on Tuesday.
The NEA welcomed the enactment.
“We believe this new measure reflects the [Duterte] administration’s commitment to support ECs and member-consumer-owners (MCOs), as it assures the immediate rehabilitation of power facilities damaged by natural calamities and relieves ECs and MCOs of the financial burden stemming from the cost of reconstruction,” the NEA said in a statement.
The agency also thanked Congress, specifically the energy committees of both chambers, for crafting the measure.
“The NEA looks forward to working with Congress and the Department of Budget and Management to ensure that the budgetary requirements of RA 11039 are fully integrated in the 2019 NEA budget,” it said.
Founded in 1969, the NEA is tasked to create policies and coordinate the implementation of ECs’ activities related to emergency and resiliency management in coordination with the National Disaster Risk Education and Management Council.
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