A total of 595 households in remote  24 sitios or puroks in ten (10) barangays in the five cities and municipalities in the Third District of Negros Occidental have qualified as recipients of the home-based solar system under the Department of Energy  (DOE) Household Electrification Program (HEP).

DOE Visayas Focal Person Lourdes Arciaga talks on the mechanics of the Household Electrification Program.

          With the initiative of Third District Congressman Alfredo Benitez, the Department of Energy together with the local government units and barangay leaders conducted  last year a survey in far-flung areas of the District especially reaching off-grid households.

          Last August 13, 2018 Punong Barangays of identified recipients of the program together with their respective LGU officials attended the orientation workshop in preparation for the second phase of the implementation.

          DOE Senior Research Specialist and focal person for the Visayas, Lourdes S. Arciaga conducted the briefing on the details of the HEP which is a component of the  total electrification program of the national leadership.

          Pastor Cesar Gallarin, executive director of Friendship Builders Foundation , program partner of DOE led the orientation on the social preparation component and the organization of solar power associations.

Friendship Builders Foundation executive director Pastor Cesar Gallarin expains the importance of social preparation and capability-building as a component of the DOE-Household Electrification Program.

          Also present during the orientation were representatives of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative, the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative and Trade Master, the program contractor.

          In the next two weeks, the DOE-led program team assisted by staff of Cong. Benitez with the support of the LGU and the Barangays will conduct social preparation activities to ensure the program sustainability with the capability-building of the associations.

          A component of the Expanded Rural Electrification Program, the Household Electrification Program provides electricity for lighting, radio, MP3 player and phone charger to households in remote areas unreachable by power lines using renewable energy systems such as the photovoltaic, solar home system or micro-hydro system.

          DOE directly administers procurement until installation of the off-grid power sustem, supports the social preparation and capacity building, regular monitoring and technical assistance to beneficiaries.

          The Office of Cong. Benitez serves as the coordinating center to ensure smooth flow of synergy and convergence among all program participants, both government and non-government entities.

          Barangays covered include Amayco, Canlandog, Minoyan, Salvacion and Sta. Rosa in Murcia .  Also reached are Talisay - Barangay Katilingban;  Mambulac and Guimbalaon in Silay;  Canlusong in EB Magalona;  and Barangay 20 in Victorias.

          Victorias City Mayor Francis Frederick “Wantan” Palanca who joined the orientation program, cited the benefits of the HEP and urged everyone to be vigilant so that the program will be sustained and more areas will eventually be reached.*