Keeping The Philippines In the Dark

Access to affordable electricity is a necessity in the modern age. Yet, in the Philippines many households remain unconnected to the grid. The Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative says it is aiming for full electrification of the province by 2028. That sounds good but it's hardly being done altruistically or in the name of progress.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1256460

The Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) on Wednesday said it aims to achieve 100-percent electrification of the province before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s term ends in 2028.

In an interview, INEC acting general manager Cipriano Martinez III said that based on a recent survey, there are still 1,700 households in the province that are not yet connected to the power grid.

"We took an inventory of these households and made an assessment of how much is needed to give them access to electricity," Martinez said.

"Our target is to make the home province of the President the model to achieve 100-percent electrification before his term ends."

To achieve this, the province's lone power distribution utility vowed to solicit the support of local officials and political leaders.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, Marcos, who is from Batac, Ilocos Norte, said his administration is working to bring electricity to every Filipino home.

Marcos said that since he assumed office in 2022, some 2.5 million of the more than 5 million homes initially without electricity have already been provided with power.

The Department of Energy earlier said the goal to electrify all households in the country by 2028 would require investments worth PHP72 billion.

The INEC could have aimed for an earlier date but they went with 2028. Why? Because of President Marcos. He is from Ilocos Norte and what better way to honor him and provide a legacy than to achieve 100% electrification by the time his term ends? Well, how about working for the people and doing what's best for them within a time frame that is reasonable and not symbolic? How about working according to the fastest timeline possible that accounts for sustainability and capacity?

The absence of a 100% connected electric grid in the Philippines can be observed from space. Here is a picture of the Philippines at night compared to rest of East and Southeast Asia. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/The_earth_at_night.jpg

Compared to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China the Philippines is a barely noticeable. The Philippines remains shrouded in darkness while its neighbors shine brightly. Don't forget this whole region was devastated during World War 2 and it's only the Philippines that remains underdeveloped and in the dark.

The point is infrastructure in the Philippines needs to be built and it needs to built within a reasonable time frame without reference to symbolic dates such as the end of an elected politician's term. Building infrastructure should not be linked to political capital. There is a lot of work to be done in the Philippines to bring the nation up to the level of its neighbors. It's past time for the nonsense and pageantry to end. Prioritizing symbolic dates to provide a political legacy over long-term sustainable development goals will continue to keep the Philippines in the dark.