U.S. Embassy Photo Release

May 4, 2007

 

 

United States is a Proud Partner in Public-Private Initiative

to Bring Electricity to 95% of Philippine Barangays

 

 

A milestone was reached this week in the U.S.-supported public-private project to provide electricity to all of the barangays in the Philippines, with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hosting a May 4 ceremony to mark 95% electrification in the country.

 

The American people are proud to be a partner in improving the standard of living for thousands of Filipino citizens through the U.S. Agency for International Development-supported Alliance for Mindanao Off-Grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) Project.

 

Pictured above at the ceremony with residents of recently electrified rurual areas, U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney points to an area in Mindanao that has received electricity thanks to the AMORE program.  The U.S. Government has provided 340 barangays in Mindanao with electricity already, and by June this year that number will have grown to nearly 400.

 

“The American people are committed to help our friends in the Philippines achieve the benefits of economic growth and improved standards of living that come with the widespread and growing availability of energy,” says Ambassador Kenney.  “Electricity is a significant step forward in the development of communities in Mindanao – one that breeds hope and peace.”

 

AMORE is a unique public-private partnership that works with the Philippine Department of Energy, local governments, and private firms such as the American company Mirant Corporation-Philippines to achieve 100% electriciation in the country.

 

Also attending the ceremony were Department of Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and Mirant Foundation Director Robert Calingo.

 

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