A consumer group has welcomed the approval of the congressional bill that will put the entire Davao del Norte and Maco in Davao de Oro under the service area of the Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC), the service provider of Davao City and some parts of the province.
The bill, if approved into law, “will lift the burden of the consumers in the province who have been suffering from the inefficiency of its electricity provider as well as high rates,” said Ave Rose Castillo, convenor of the DavNor Energy Modernization Movement.
“We cannot thank our lawmakers enough for understanding our plight,” said Castillo after the House of Representatives approved the proposal that expands the service area of DLPC to include the rest of the province and Maco in Davao de Oro.
The same bill, which will be sent to the Senate for ratification, also pushes for the extension of the franchise of DLPC by another 25 years.
Castillo also took note of the support of the political leaders of the province who have jointly pushed for the bill regardless of their political affiliations.
“Except for a few, most of our local chief executives have been one in endorsing the proposal, so we believe our lawmakers understand that this is not just a predicament of a small sector of the consumers but of everyone,” she said, citing that the provincial government and the other local government units that will get affected by the implementation of the proposal, including the one in Maco, endorsed the proposal.
She added that the passage of the bill will become a huge factor to unlock the economic potentials of the province. “The availability of efficient electricity supply is always a major consideration for investors in identifying areas on where to invest,” she added as she also cited the support for the proposal from the business sector, including the tourism industry, and other consumer groups.
She added that the approval of the bill will also allow the rest of the province to experience a better power industry service. “For the longest time,” she added, “we have envied our neighbors. When this proposal is finally implemented, we will be on equal footing.”
Castillo was referring to residents of Panabo City and the towns of Sto. Tomas, Carmen and Braulio Dujali, all of the province, who DLPC has served since 1976.
