Anton Mari Perdices (left), senior vice-president and chief operating officer of Veco, leads the ceremonial switching-on of the Rural Electrification Project, with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Councilor Nestor Archival and Department of Energy regional director Antonio Labios. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
A total of 236 households from the four rural barangays in Cebu City now have electricity through the Visayan Electric Company’s (Veco) rural electrification project, which is in cooperation with power companies Kepco Philippines, Cebu Private Power Corporation, East Asia Utility Corporation and Cebu Energy Development Corporation, and the Cebu City government.
Barangays Kalunasan, Lusaran, Sinsin and Buhisan are the recipients of the project.
Under the rural electrification project, the city government will coordinate with the barangay captains for the implementation of the project, while Veco and other power companies will install the power lines.
Department of Energy regional director Antonio Labios said it is their job as public servants to provide the basic needs to the people including electricity.
“In the coming years, our goal is to energize all the houses in rural areas in the city,” said Labios.
Jagnom Laguran, one of the beneficiaries of the project, said that her children shouted for joy when electricity was activated.
“We have been waiting for 50 years for access to electricity. Now we are really excited for our first bill,” said Laguran.
In 2013, the City of Naga in southern Cebu was the first beneficiary of Veco’s rural electrification project. Cebu City is the second beneficiary of the project.