Senator Grace Poe is calling on her fellow senators to take into account the franchise bid of three power distribution companies in Leyte, Romblon, and Negros Occidental to guarantee power supply and avoid blackouts amid the continuously rising heat index. 

Poe said that Leyte II Electric Cooperative (Leyeco II), Romblon Electric Cooperative (Romelco), and Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) have

been supplying stable and sustainable energy. 

“As the heat index in the country remains dangerously high and is projected to continue rising at the

peak of the summer season and amid El Niño, there is no more fitting time than today, to present, for the Senate’s consideration, three measures that will ensure our power consumers continued access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy,” stressed Poe,  who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services.

According to the senator, Leyeco II had always exceeded performance evaluations and had the lowest power rate in the area, while Romelco is a leader in renewable energy initiatives and has been planning to obtain 90% of its energy from renewable sources within the next five years.

Meanwhile, NEPC, a partnership between Primelectric and Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO), planned to update its distribution network and address operational difficulties in Negros Occidental. 

The senator added that while Western Visayas has been advancing and the demand has been amplifying, CENECO has been struggling to keep up with the requirements, hence the much-needed update in the distribution network.