Leyte power cooperative gets fresh franchise
TACLOBAN CITY – The largest power utility in Eastern Visayas, which has over 81,000 member-consumers, has received a new franchise.
The Leyte II Electric Cooperative (Leyeco II) became the first electric cooperative in the country to have its franchise renewed by the current Congress under the Marcos administration, said Engr. Fernan Paul Tan, general manager of the cooperative.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12017, which grants Leyeco II a franchise for the next 25 years, last August 9.
The renewal enables Leyeco II to “construct, install, establish, operate, own, manage, and maintain, in the public interest and for commercial purposes, a distribution system for the conveyance of electric power to its end-users.”
Tan expressed his gratitude to the President for signing the franchise renewal. He also extended his gratitude to the House of Representatives, particularly Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, and the Senate for the swift approval of the measure.
“It took us just about a year for both the Lower House and the Senate to approve our franchise renewal application,” Tan said.
Besides Leyeco II, which covers the municipalities of Palo and Babatngon, as well as Tacloban City, more than 40 electric cooperatives nationwide, including some in the region, are also seeking franchise renewals.
“We began working on our application for franchise renewal as early as 2017 and have gathered all the necessary documents for our campaign,” Tan said.
This marks the third time that Leyeco II has been granted a franchise to operate in its service areas.
Tan announced plans to further improve the delivery of power supply while reaffirming Leyeco’s commitment to providing reliable electricity to its member-consumers.
In 2022, Leyeco II was recognized by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) as one of the most outstanding electric cooperatives in the country. NEA attributed this to the “AAA” rating the cooperative received in the 2021 overall performance assessment and the successful implementation of its mandate under the rural electrification program.
The cooperative is also known for offering some of the lowest power rates in the region. As of August, Leyeco II is charging its member-consumers P9.69 per kilowatt-hour of power consumption.
