NEA affirms ZAMCELCO’s EC rating improvement

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

THE Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (ZAMCELCO) showed improvement in its overall performance in 2022 as it achieved B rating from C in 2021. The electric cooperative (EC) said on Wednesday it received from the National Electrification Administration (NEA) the latest annual assessment conducted on all ECs.

The NEA’s rating system is based on multiple criteria, including institutionalgovernance parameters, financial parameters, technical parameters, level of electrification, and reportorial requirement. ZAMCELCO’s consistent improvements across these domains propelled the cooperative’s ascent to the B rating.

“We’re thankful for this nod from the NEA, which further lets us know that ZAMCELCO is on the right track,” said ZAMCELCO Chief

Management Officer Rommel Agan.

ZAMCELCO’s B rating was a result of the improved quality of electricity distribution in the city since the new management took over in late 2018. Since then, the electric cooperative has witnessed significant enhancements to its services, as reflected in the NEA’s ratings.

From a rating of D in 2018 to C in 2019 and C again in 2021, ZAMCELCO’s progress has been consistently positive, culminating in the

B rating in NEA’s 2022 assessment.

ZAMCELCO, a joint venture between Crown Investment Holdings Inc. and Desco Inc., is currently implementing a P2.5-billion investor-manager contract (IMC).

The IMC is a contractual relationship between a willing electric cooperative and a willing investor-operator for the infusion of risk capital and provision of management expertise by the latter to the former to provide for sustainable electric cooperative recovery

S mandated by the 1987 Constitution, the education sector will retain the highest budgetary priority next year with the biggest allocation amounting to P924.7 billion under the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

In his budget message, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the 2024 allocation for the education sector, which includes the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), and 116 state universities and colleges (SUCs), is higher than 2023’s P895.2 billion.

For next year, the DepEd will receive P758.6 billion, CHED with P31 billion, Tesda with P15.2 billion, and SUCs with P105 billion.

“With 99.5 percent of our public schools now implementing 5-day inperson classes, this amount will fund significant investments in the education of over 28 million learners nationwide,” the President said.

The allocation for the education sector represents 16 percent of the proposed national budget and reflects a 3.3 percent increase from its P895.2 billion in 2023, owing to higher provision for the Basic Education Facilities (BEF) program, schoolbased feeding programs, and basic education textbooks and materials.

The President said this huge allocation for the education sector is in line with the DepEd’s “Matatag: Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa” agenda.

“We shall continue to provide funding for the UAQTE [Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education] program, which will receive a total of P51.1 billion. Of this amount, P26.0 billion is allocated for CHED, P21.7 billion for SUCs, and P3.4 billion for TESDA.

Marcos said P41.0 billion would also be provided for Education Assistance and Subsidies.

Of this amount, he said the DepEd would receive P39.3 billion for its Education Service Contracting, Junior High School and Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program, and Joint Delivery Voucher Program based on improved efficiency, lower costs and systems loss reduction.

Despite the rising electricity demand in Zamboanga City, which grew from 539,902,082 kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2018 to 609,425,759 kWh in 2022, ZAMCELCO’s new management has continued to uphold its commitment to superior service.

ZAMCELCO has recorded over 125,000 billed customers.

ZAMCELCO’s management recently announced the cooperative’s “GetSET25 Zamboanga” campaign, seeking to meet rising demand for energy with stable for SHS Technical Vocational Livelihood Specialization.

CHED’s Student Financial Assistance Program and Tesda’s Private Education Student Financial Assistance Program will receive P1.5 billion and P200 million, respectively.

Improving education facilities is essential for creating a conducive learning environment for all learners, including those in remote and hard-to-reach areas, according to the President.

“A well-equipped and well-designed classroom can foster a positive atmosphere for learning. In line with this and as part of DepEd’s seven focus areas, the BEF program will receive P33.8 billion for the construction of 7,879 new classrooms and technical vocational laboratories; repair and rehabilitation of 10,050 classrooms; procurement of 21,557 sets of school desks, furniture, and fixtures; electrification of 432 classrooms; and construction of 333 priority school health facilities, three mediumrise school buildings, 72 library hubs, 16 Inclusive Learning Resource Centers (ILRCs), and four Community Learning Centers (CLCs). These projects will be implemented in all corners of the country, including in underserved areas. Similarly, the various infrastructure projects of SUCS will receive P3.4 billion,” he said.

In support of our agenda for Education, Marcos said the government would allocate P12 billion for textbooks and other instructional materials.

The DepEd Computerization Program will receive P8.9 billion to procure eLearning cart packages, laptops for teachers and non-teaching personnel, and various ICT equipment for the establishment of the MATATAG Center in 2024.

The Alternative Learning System will receive P632 million to support education, employment, and entrepreneurship programs for out-of-school youth, and the Government Internship Program will receive a budget of P808 million. Similarly, the Special Program for Employment of Students will be allocated P829 million, while the JobStart Philippines Program will receive P205 million. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz electricity and economic rates for its consumers—and committed themselves to a deadline of 2025.

“ We’re giving ourselves a deadline. We have formally committed that by 2025 we will be providing stable electricity in Zamboanga City, with the projects that are in the pipeline. The steady improvements to our services tie back to our vision of being an invaluable partner of the local government to develop Zamboanga City into one of the country’s most economically-competitive cities,” Agan shared, “and of course, to empower the communities we serve.”

Go lauds sustained Malasakit Center ops amid PHL’s rising health-care challenges

SENATOR Christopher Lawrence “Bong”

Go, in an ambush interview over the weekend after assisting flood victims in Davao City, reiterated his support for the continued operation of the Malasakit Centers initiative, a program he initiated five years ago.

The initiative, which aims to streamline medical and financial assistance to Filipinos, has since helped hundreds of thousands of indigent patients across Davao Region, and 7 million Filipinos throughout the country, according to the Department of Health (DOH). “Sa ngayon po,it’s raw data, peromahigit500,000 patients napoangnatulungansabuongDavao Region ng Malasakit Center,” he said.

Go further explained that there are currently five Malasakit Centers operating in the Davao Region and an additional one is set to open soon in Davao Occidental.

This latest expansion will bring the total number of Malasakit Centers to six in the region, further broadening its impact and reach. “Sa ngayon po, ang ating Malasakit Center sa SPMC [Southern Philippines Medical Center] sa Davao City, ang kinecater po niyan, hindi lang taga-Davao City. Buong Mindanao, pwedeng lumapit diyan,” the senator elaborated.

Other Malasakit Centers in the Davao Region are located at the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital, Davao Del Sur Provincial Hospital,

Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center and the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC).

“Sa ating mga kababayan sa Davao Region, mayroon na pong limang Malasakit Center nahandangtumulongsainyo.Higit500,000 na pasyente na ang natulungan sa Davao Region alone. At 7 million patients na ang natulunganpongMalasakit Center sabuong Pilipinas,” he said.

These centers have significantly impacted the Davao Region, with the Malasakit Center in SPMC alone having served approximately 212,000 patients from 2019 to mid-2023.

Meanwhile, according to a recent report, medical assistance to indigent patients of the DOH was provided through the Malasakit

Center in DRMC in Tagum City to 129,432 patients from 2019 until July 2023. Malasakit Centers bring together representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, DOH, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The one-stop-shop aims to support impoverished patients in reducing their hospital costs to the least possible amount. Go is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program. To date, there are already 158 operational centers nationwide.