DBM: P1.89B earmarked for electrification programs

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Thursday said it has allocated nearly P2 billion for electrification programs of the National Electrification Administration (NEA).

In a statement, the DBM said P1.89 billion was appropriated under the NEA's 2023 budget.

The amount was earmarked for lighting up more than a thousand communities  nationwide.

In particular, the DBM said the NEA’s Barangay/Sitio Electrification Project will have the highest share of the fund at P1.68 billion this year.

The said project aims to provide electricity to some 1,140 sitios all over the country.

The NEA’s budget will also fund other programs such as the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency and the Installation of Solar Panels in Public Buildings.

The NEA is an attached agency of the Department of Energy (DOE).

The DBM said a special provision in the 2023 General Appropriations Act says the Barangay/Sitio Electrification Project shall prioritize barangays or sitios where an absolute number of indigents and the incidence of poverty are high as identified in the latest official poverty statistics of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as well as those with the high probability of having electricity.

"This program of the Energy Department will also support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s goal to ensure that energy in the country is affordable, sustainable, secure, and sufficient, especially during calamities and emergencies," said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News