The Quezon City government and Manila Electric Company (Meralco) are set to improve the Philippines ranking in The Getting Electricity Indicator of the World Bank Study, leading the country to overall improved quality and performance for accessible and reliable electricity.
According to the World Bank Study, the Philippines ranked 31st in its 2018 results, placing behind Malaysia (8th), and Thailand (13th) in the East Asia and Pacific region.
The Getting Electricity indicator of the World Bank Study “measures the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain a permanent electricity connection for a newly constructed building as well as the reliability of supply and transparency of tariff, or price of electricity.”
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Rowel S. Barba of the Competitiveness and Ease of Doing Business (CEODB) cited the efforts of Meralco and the Local Government of Quezon City for their continued efforts to make it easier for citizens to get connected with electricity.
A team from the WB recently visited the country to validate the reforms for the 2019 WB Doing Business Survey.
Reforms implemented by Meralco and the Quezon City government saw the reduction in procedures from 4 steps to 3 and the turn-around time from 37 days to 2, resulting in positive outlooks for the country towards its mission to improve access to reliable electricity.
Some of Meralco’s efforts include the implementation of an online service application process; a Meralco booth set up at the QC Hall for immediate assistance in electric service application; the Quezon City LGU’s electronic transmittal of Building Permit and CFEI (Certificate of Final Electrical Inspection) to Meralco; implementation of a single application of permits as part of Business Application in Quezon City Hall; and implementation of Meralco’s various network automation and systems innovations using smart grid.
“We are pleased to see the fruits of the reforms, and Meralco’s commitment towards continuous improvement. The eServices facility, along with the One Stop Shop of Quezon City is expected to improve the ease of doing business,” DTI CEODB Undersecretary Barba said.
“By 2022 we aim to be at the top 20% of competitiveness rankings. We see automation of government services as a key to be a globally competitive country for business. The automation efforts by the Quezon City Government and Meralco may serve as an example to other local government units to level up their delivery of frontline services to businesses,” added Barba.
