THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) on Tuesday, Sept. 2, said it still needs P61 billion to fulfill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s objective to electrify all communities nationwide by 2028.
During the House Appropriations Committee hearing, NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said the agency has so far received about P7.5 billion for the nationwide electrification initiative since 2023.
“For the sitio electrification, we are given [only] the amount of P5 billion for 2026. And if I may add, based on the five-year program that we have formulated since the announcement of the President during his SONA [State of the Nation Address], for us to achieve 100% electrification in the franchise areas of the electric cooperatives, we are in need of around P69 billion,” Almeda said.
However, the NEA was only allotted P5 billion for 2026.
“For the Barangay Line Enhancement, the proposal was P1.188 billion. We are given P245 million,” he said.
Nonetheless, Almeda said that the agency is committed to carrying out its mandate of working through 121 electric cooperatives to achieve total electrification.
“We are just pushing, and we’re just working on whatever is given to us. And we want to deliver 100%. We are committed to delivering 100% electrification if the support is available,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) are proposing a combined budget of around P4.75 billion for next year.
In particular, the DOE is seeking a budget of P3.84 billion in 2026, while the ERC is requesting P906.02 million.
During the hearing, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin presented the DOE’s eight major programs — the National and Regional Energy Planning, Conventional Energy Development, Renewable Energy Development, Downstream Energy Development, Electric Power Industry Development, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Alternative Fuels and Technologies, and Electric Vehicle Industry Development.
The ERC’s proposed budget for 2026 is 2.7% lower compared to this year’s P930.88 million.
“Our proposed 2026 budget is in fact a slight reduction from our 2025 approved budget owing to a slight reduction in personnel services from P351.44 million to P343.12 million,” ERC Chairperson Francis Saturnino Juan said. (GMA Integrated News)
