(MARTIN ROMUALDEZ FACEBOOK)
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TACLOBAN CITY – President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. has signed a bill renewing the franchise of Leyte II Electric Cooperative (Leyeco II), the biggest power utility in the region, serving over 81,000 member-consumers.
The President signed Republic Act 12017 on August 9, granting Leyeco II a franchise renewal for the next 25 years.
The renewal allows Leyeco II to “construct, install, establish, operate, own, manage, and maintain, in the public interest and for commercial purposes, a distribution system for the conveyance of electric power to (its) end-users.”
Engr. Fernan Paul Tan, the general manager of Leyeco II, expressed his gratitude to the President for signing the franchise renewal, which covers the municipalities of Palo and Babatngon, as well as Tacloban City.
He also thanked the members of the House of Representatives, particularly Speaker and Leyte Congressman Martin Romualdez, and the Senate for the swift approval of the measure.
“It took us just about a year for both the Lower House and the Senate to approve our franchise renewal (application),” Tan said.
According to Tan, Leyeco II is the first electric cooperative in the country to have its franchise renewed by the current Congress and under the Marcos administration.
More than 40 electric cooperatives across the country, including some in the region, are also seeking franchise renewals.
“We began working on our application for franchise renewal as early as 2017 and have gathered all the necessary documents for our campaign,” Tan said.
This marks the third time that Leyeco II has been granted a franchise to operate in its service areas.
Tan also mentioned that they are willing to assist other cooperatives seeking franchise renewals.
“Leyeco II is very much willing to help them,” he said.
Tan reaffirmed their commitment to providing reliable electricity to their member-consumers and announced plans to embark on activities aimed at further improving the delivery of power supply.
In 2022, Leyeco II was recognized by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) as one of the most outstanding electric cooperatives in the country.
This recognition was due to the “AAA” rating the cooperative received in the 2021 overall performance assessment and the successful implementation of its mandate under the rural electrification program.
The cooperative is also known for offering some of the lowest power rates in the region.
For August, Leyeco II is charging its member-consumers P9.69 per kilowatt-hour of power consumption.
JOEY A. GABIETA
