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BY Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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MANILA – Sen. Loren Legarda is pushing for the country’s full electrification by 2017.
Legarda, chairwoman of the Committee on Finance, said the present electrification in urban area stands at 94 percent. Rural electrification, on the other hand, lies only at 73 percent.
About 4.4 million households in remote areas do not have access to electricity, she added.
“Lack of access to electricity is a fundamental issue that keeps our poor in the bondage of poverty. Education needs electricity. Functioning health clinics and pumps for water and sanitation require electricity,” the Antiqueña senator said.
She also wanted to know the funds needed to achieve full electrification.
Meanwhile, Legarda welcomed the European Union’s support for the country’s rural electrification targets.
The Philippines received a grant of P3 billion, which was sourced from the Access to Sustainable Energy Programme, for the use of renewable energy and promotion of energy efficiency.
The country’s electrification goals, said Legarda, should be aligned with the government’s low-carbon objective.
“The sustainable development-energy nexus requires an urgent examination of how the country can tap cleaner forms of energy to provide for the region’s requirement,” she ended./PN
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