STAKEHOLDERS of the power industry committed to extend all-out support to the rehabilitation of the Lanao del Sur Rural Electric Cooperative (Lasureco), which is currently not operating due to the ongoing fighting in Marawi City.
Edgardo Masongsong, National Electrification Administration (NEA) chief, said that they are initially allocating P12 million as working capital for Lasureco and other financial help would be determined when the war in Marawi is concluded.
“It is important that we extend whatever support we can to rehabilitate Lasureco as part of other government efforts once development programs start after the war,” Masongsong said.
Lasureco is in charge of electric distribution in the entire province and is currently not operating and suffered losses since the Marawi siege more than month ago.
Masongsong spearheaded the relief operations initiative for Lasureco employees and member consumer owners, and met with the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (Amreco) Inc., area managers recently at the compound of the Misamis Oriental Electric Coop I in Lguindingan town.
Earlier, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in cooperation with Amreco and the National Association of General Managers of Electric Coops (Nagmec) donated supplies for the internally displaced Lasureco employees. The gesture was thought not enough, thus the involvement of all the stakeholders including NEA, NGCP, the Rural Electric Cooperatives Board of Directors Association, National Center of Electric Cooperative Consumers Inc., Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives, and San Miguel Power holdings Corp.
Sacks of rice, assorted can goods, bottled water, noodles, hygiene kits, easy to prepare food packs, were delivered to Lasureco, while all the donor cooperatives and associations have given more than one million pesos in cash.