The Regional Development Council (RDC)-XI approved a resolution supporting three legislative measures that seek to expand the franchise of the Davao Light and Power Company, Inc. (DLPC) in Davao del Norte.
During its 2023 1st Quarterly Full Council Meeting in Mati City yesterday, the RDC-XI approved the resolution moved by Davao del Norte Governor Edwin I. Jubahib supporting House Bill (HB) 6740, HB 5077 and HB 6996.
HB 6740, authored by PBA Partylist Representative Atty. Margarita Ignacia Nograles, and HB 5077, authored by Davao del Norte 1st Distrct Representative Pantaleon Alvarez, both push for the expansion of the franchise areas of DLPC to include Tagum City, the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS), and the municipalities of Asuncion, Kapalong, New Corella, San Isidro and Talaingod in Davao del Norte, including the municipality of Maco in Davao de Oro.
These areas are currently being served by the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (NORDECO), which is formerly Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative (DANECO).
On the other hand, HB No. 6695, which was filed by Congressman Alan Dujali from Davao del Norte’s Second District and Representative Maricar Zamora from the First District of Davao de Oro, pushes for the expansion of DLPC in Davao del Norte to include only IGACOS.
Responding to the clamor of the people, Jubahib led a petition in 2021 for the cancelation of Nordeco’s franchise in the first district of Davao del Norte and IGACOS, lambasting the electric utility over unstable power supply, high power rates and poor services.
He said this greatly affected local businesses and households, while discouraging investors to come in.
This led to the approval of Congress of HB 10554 last year, granting the expansion of the franchise area of DLPC, but which was vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Jubahib is hopeful that, being the highest policy-making body for development efforts in the Davao Region, the RDC-XI’s resolution will help influence the president to reconsider his previous decision and grant DLPC’s expansion in the province this time around.
Local officials and business sectors recently held a series of indignation rallies against Nordeco, asking for the cancellation of its franchise in the province, which is still slated to end in 2028 in mainland Davao del Norte and 2033 in Samal Island.
RDC-XI further passed a resolution authored by Jubahib that pushes for the incorporation of the water supply, electricity and telecommunication lines in tbe Detailed Engineering Design (DED) of the ongoing Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) Bridge.
Other resolutions approved by the RDC-XI also include the confirmation of the FY 2024 Budget Proposals for 51 agency regional offices (AROs), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), amounting to P260 billion.
Among the LGUs in Region XI, Davao del Norte got a substantial share of 21 percent in the proposed budget pie for Davao Region for next year in terms of spatial disaggregation.
