For the second straight year, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises has approved a bill granting a new franchise to the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative, Inc. (FICELCO).
In a meeting held last week at the Batasang Pambansa, the committee chaired by Rep. Jeffrey P. Ferrer granted a motion by Rep. Gil Acosta of Palawan’s 3rd District to approve as a consolidated measure House Bill 2494, sponsored by Catanduanes Rep. Eulogio R. Rodriguez, PHILRECA Partylist Rep. Presley C. de Jesus and APEC Partylist Sergio C. Dagooc, and House Bill 863 filed by de Jesus.
In his sponsorship speech, Cong. Rodriguez described FICELCO as one of the lifelines of the province of Catanduanes, serving as a silent engine that drives the socio-economic development of the island province.
“It has stood defiant in facing its challenges, bridging the gap between isolation and opportunity. Stands as an inspiration of resilience despite being in the frontline of recurring typhoon,” the second-termer solon stressed.
He noted that the cooperative’s accomplishments are testaments to its commitment to public service and financial stewardship as reflected in the “AAA” performance rating given by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) in 2025.
Reminding that electricity is no longer a luxury but a necessity for the wellbeing of his constituents, Rodriguez made the appeal for the bill’s approval with a renewed sense of urgency after a similar measure was approved on third reading in the 19th Congress but for lack of material time, the Senate was unable to consider and approve the measure.
The two other co-sponsors, Rep. Dagooc and Rep. de Jesus, no longer delivered lengthy messages but lauded FICELCO for continuing to deliver reliable and affordable electricity to its member-consumer-owners despite the challenges posed by its geographical location and frequent weather disturbances.
The representatives of NEA and the Energy Regulatory Commission expressed their strong support for the granting of a new franchise to the cooperative, underscoring that it has displayed consistent resiliency, AAA for last five (5) years based on key performance standards and has been performing well.
FICELCO was represented at the committee meeting by General Manager Engr. Francis A. Gianan and Director Romeo Santos as resource persons, with other co-op officials.
The committee chair posed only one query to the GM: the total number of active MCOs served by FICELCO which has now reached 61,010 as of last week.
Established on Oct. 28, 1971, FICELCO has achieved 100% electrification of the province’s 11 towns and 315 barangays and has consistently maintained high performance and operational standards despite recurring damage caused by typhoons.
It has significantly reduced systems loss to 8%, minimized power interruptions, and maintained a high collection efficiency.
The cooperative’s current franchise will expire in 2029.