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LEGAZPI CITY — As the dry season gets hotter each year, a congressional candidate in Albay's 3rd District vows to spearhead the modernization of the province's electric cooperative.
Addressing a recent business forum here, Polangui Mayor Raymond Adrian Salceda said that he saw how communities suffered and businesses floundered under constant brownouts when the Albay Electric Cooperative (Aleco) could not provide enough power supply.
The forum, dubbed "Vision for Business: Candidates' Insights," was organized by the Albay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and radio station DZGB.
If elected as Albay 3rd District representative, Salceda promised to source out funds, an initial P600 million which is part of the P1.8 billion requirement, to allow Aleco to purchase modern equipment and pay off its mounting debts.
"I will also support alternative sources of energy, among them wind and solar farms, and help big power consumers such as malls, commercial centers and industries form retail electricity suppliers under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or Epira law," Salceda said.
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"Large power consumers are given the option to tap other sources of energy whenever they are not satisfied with the services of existing traditional power suppliers," he added.
He also vowed to solve the water supply problems in his district while opposing giving the facilities to the private sector.
"Consumers should be protected from sudden spikes in rates and there are other viable programs to improve and rehabilitate water facilities," he said.
Salceda said his plans will align with the Global Albay program of his father, outgoing 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda, who is seeking the gubernatorial post in the May 12, 2025 polls.
The elder Salceda is setting the tracks for Aleco's modernization before he steps down as lawmaker in June, among them putting up a substations around the province.
Mayor Salceda, who rose to ranks from being Sangguniang Kabataan and barangay chair, is also president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Albay.
His priority programs are rolled into"Heart 4S," centered on health, education, agriculture, rural infrastructure; tourism, trade and industry; and social services, senior citizens and solo parents, small and micro Enterprises, and sports and youth development.
