ILOILO — More than 13,000 households across three islands in Carles, Iloilo, are set to gain access to electricity with the P388-million Estancia-Manlot-Calagnaan-Sicogon Island Submarine Cable Interconnection Project.

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Ayala Land director Fernando Zobel de Ayala led the project’s groundbreaking ceremony on 7 March at Barangay San Fernando, Sicogon Island, along with local officials and stakeholders.

Speaking at the event, Romualdez highlighted the project’s significance in bridging development gaps in rural areas.

“At this groundbreaking ceremony, we stand together in declaring that no Filipino will be left behind in progress. This P388-million project is not just a project but a light of hope, a light of livelihood, and a light of development for more than 13,000 families on these islands,” he said.

The initiative, considered the largest rural electrification project funded by the national government will be implemented by the Iloilo Electric Cooperative III (ILECO III).

It involves extending a 13.2KV distribution line from Barangay Dacutan, Estancia, to Manlot, Calagnaan and Sicogon Islands.

Beneficiaries include residents of Manlot Island and the barangays of Barangcalan, Bito-on, Talingting, Tinigban and Punta Batuanan in Calagnaan Island, as well as Buaya, Alipata and San Fernando in Sicogon Island.

The project comprises three key submarine cable segments: Manlot-Dacutan (2.4 km), Manlot-Talingting (0.7 km) and Punta Batuanan-San Fernando (1.4 km), each fitted with protective systems.

It also includes overhead distribution lines, with 66 poles in Manlot, 392 in Calagnaan and 203 in Sicogon.