Electrification projects funded by DAP still on

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur – An electrification project here, financed through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) of the Aquino administration, will proceed despite the controversy now surrounding the DAP, according to officials of the local electric cooperative.

The electrification project will benefit at least 4,000 households in remote areas of the province.

Emmanuel Galarse, general manager of the Agusan del Sur Electric Cooperative (Aselco), said 1,000 households that stand to benefit from the project had to wait, though, until next year.

Galarse said Aselco got a go-signal from the National Electrification Administration to proceed with the project after P70 million in DAP funds earmarked for the project had been released.

The project is part of the Aquino administration’s Barangay Line Enhancement Program (BLEP) and Sitio Electrification Program (SEP).

Galarse said Aselco’s implementation of the BLEP and SEP was briefly suspended when the DAP generated controversy.

After the transfer of DAP funds to the electrification projects of Aselco, the cooperative earned the distinction of being the only cooperative to implement the BLEP and SEP using DAP funds, according to Galarse.

At least six petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the DAP, which the Aquino administration defended as necessary to fast-track the economy.

Galarse said the village of Maharlika near the Agusan Marsh here, which became popular because of its floating houses, would be among the three villages that would be energized this year using the DAP funds. Chris Panganiban, Inquirer Mindanao