August: National Electrification Awareness Month

by Lovell Gepte - Juliano

The Aklan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AKELCO) and 18 other Electric Cooperatives (ECs) are one with National Electrification Adminis-tration (NEA) in the observance of August as National Electrification Awareness Month. August is declared National Electrification Awareness Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1743. It aims to raise public consciousness that the said agency and its 119 electric cooperatives (ECs) in the country play a vital role in pursuing the mandate of total electrification.

As a national policy, total electrification is one of the government’s 10-point agenda. NEA and ECs play major roles in the electrification program in nation building. Thus, it is timely to give recognition and create public awareness through intensified campaign showcasing its programs and projects. To date, 100 percent of towns/cities have been electrified while 98 percent of the barangays have been energized and effected eight million consumer – connections in the country.

National Electrification Awareness month also coincides with the celebration of NEA’s 40th Foundation anniversary. It has a month-long program to make the event more meaningful and memorable.

NEA Administrator Edita S. Bueno announced that NEA will have its Grand Anniversary. The conduct of the International Convention on Rural Electrification is the highlight of the occasion.

"Celebrating forty years of rural electri-fication in August is indeed a milestone with the intention of furthering its noble deed of serving the people thru electrification. Therefore, we will be holding simultaneous build up activities such as the nationwide launching of Greenlight thru Tree Planting in coordination with the local DENR, Brigada Eskwela in partnership with Dept. of Education, Consumer Education Activity and a 40,000 target house connections for all ECs starting June 27 until August 5, 2009".

ECs are also en-couraged to initiate other activities to drum-up public awareness of the 40th anniversary of the Rural Electrification Program. Akelco conducted Tree Planting on June 19, 2009 at Jawili, Tangalan, Aklan in coordination with DENR – Aklan.

Joining in the National Electrification Awareness month will be the 119 electric cooperatives, private electric distribution utilities, national and local government agencies, government corporations and state colleges and universities nationwide. /MP