82% of Filipinos are in favor of having new options for their electric service providers or electric utilities, according to a survey by Pulse Asia conducted from June 15 to 21, 2018.
Pulse Asia Research director Ana Maria Tabunda said on Monday, August 20 the support for new electric service providers is consistent across all ages, classes, and geographies, with ratings in favor of new options for electric utilities at 88% in NCR, 78% in Luzon, 84% in Visayas, and 83% in Mindanao.
The survey also found that 60% of Filipinos are dissatisfied with electric prices, and 89% of Filipinos are in favor of increasing the use of renewable energy in the Philippines. The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews, based on a sample of 1,800 Filipinos 18 years old and above, with a 2% margin of error.
This comes in the wake of plans by Malacanang to release an Executive Order to allow competition in electric distribution from private sector investors using new technologies, to lower the cost and improve the quality of electric service in the Philippines.
The Department of Energy estimates over 2.3 million Filipino households remain without electricity. Many more experience regular blackouts and among the highest rates in Asia. In this light, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi is prioritizing the entry of new investors in rural electrification, adding this directive comes from no less than President Rodrigo Duterte.
These plans have met opposition from electric cooperative organizations, led by the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (Philreca), which claims that “the policy on private sector participation in rural electrification program is based on a wrong predicate: that there are non-performing ECs who are considered barriers to total electrification.” The group claims that “only eight percent out of the total 121 ECs in the Philippines are considered problematic.”
While 82% of Filipinos surveyed nationally favor new options for electric service providers, Pulse Asia noted that even higher percentages in certain provinces favor new options for electric service providers: 100% in Cagayan, 99% in Nueva Ecija, 83% in Aurora, 88% in Metro Manila, 84% in Batangas, 95% in Cavite, 98% in Laguna, 99% in Quezon, 100% in Catanduanes, 100% in Sorsogon, 100% in Antique, 98% in Iloilo, 96% in Bohol, 100% in Lanao del Norte, 93% in Misamis Oriental, 100% in Davao del Norte, 90% in Davao del Sur, 100% in Davao Oriental, 100% in Sultan Kudarat, and 100% in Agusan del Sur.
Pulse Asia noted the highest regional percentage of Filipinos favoring new options for electric providers was 94% in the Davao Region, the home of President Rodrigo Duterte.
No comments:
Post a Comment