DOE to distribute CFLs next month

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Energy will start distributing Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) to the different congressional districts and party-list groups next month.

Appearing before the House Committee on Appropriation hearing, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said there is a total of 3.6 million CFLs to be distributed to 1.165 million households under the Philippine Energy Efficiency Project (PEEP) CFL Distribution - National Residential Lighting Program.

Almendras said CFLs will also cover the 182 congressional districts, the areas of concern of the 51 Party-list representatives and of the 17 Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional offices.

Almendras said a total of 10,000 CFLs each will be distributed to target beneficiaries in the congressional districts and party-list groups and he apologized for the delay of the distribution, which was originally slated in the latter part of August.

Each household beneficiary will receive two pieces of CFLs.

Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas gives his full support to the project.

“Energization of sitios is the most important electrification project,” Gullas said in a statement posted at Congress website.

Report said the estimated annual savings to be generated from this project would be 64.8 megawatts deferred power plant capacity, 83 megawatt hours energy savings, P828 million monetary savings and 44,702 tons of carbon dioxide emission reduction.

House panel chairman Joseph Emilio Abaya (1st District, Cavite) suggested to Almendras that his department can tap the committee’s network in the information dissemination.  (FREEMAN)