about the status of its Sitio Electrification Program, noting that the number of sitios constantly increases. Sitios are smaller units with at least 30 households. During the Finance Subcommittee E hearing on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, on the proposed 2025 budgets of the Department of Energy (DoE), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and the NEA, Legarda said full sitio electrification has been a government program since 1998, especially in the far-flung areas. “How many sitios do we have as per NEA record? And what is the status of sitio electrification,” the senator asked. NEA administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda told Legarda that NEA could only talk of barangays covered by the electric cooperatives and for its record, there are 36,071 barangays nationwide being serviced by electric cooperatives. He said in its five-year development from 2023 to 2028, NEA is foreseeing 11,000 sitios to have electricity. "As of 2023 baseline data, we are 89 percent electrification rate and the basis of which is we have 183,719 sitios,” Almeda said, adding that the percentage pertains to areas covered by electric cooperative. “So this is very, very sad that 11 percent of those covered are still living in darkness,” Legarda added. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
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