DoE: Households without electricity increased by a million in last 5 years

The number of households without electricity has increased by a million in the last five years, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said Friday.

The DoE based the number on the 2020 consensus, which showed that 1.8 million households did not have electricity, a much higher number compared to the 2015 consensus, which showed only 800,000 households without electricity.

Speaking at a Senate hearing on the DoE's proposed P2.5 billion budget, Lotilla said the 2020 number also translated to a percentage of electrification of 96 percent, which was two percent lower than 98 percent in 2015.

Lotilla attributed the increase to the rise in population and total households.

"We cannot cope with this given the present budgetary limitation [of the agency]," he said, noting that "an increase in the electrification budget would increase the rate of implementation" of the country's electrification program.

National Electrification Administration chief Antonio Almeda, meanwhile, pointed out that its originally requested budget for electrification was P6 billion. This request would have covered 2,000 sitios, he added.

However, the Department of Budget and Management cut the energy sector's fund to P1.6 billion, prompting the program to be limited to 576 areas.

With this, Senator Raffy Tulfo urged the DBM to provide the DOE and its attached agencies with the appropriate budget.

"These agencies should be given ample resources to help manage an imminent energy crisis," said Tulfo, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Energy.

"Para makapagtrabaho ng maayos itong sa energy sector natin, bigyan niyo sila ng tamang budget, para nagagawa nila 'yung nararapat (For our energy sector to do their work properly, give them the proper budget so they can do what they need to do)," Tulfo added.