Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a measure seeking to declare the first Monday of August as National Lineworker Appreciation Day.
Hontiveros, in filing Senate Bill No. 2451, said it is necessary to recognize and reward the country’s lineworkers for their valuable contribution to the government’s electrification
program.
According to the senator, electrical lineworkers serves as the backbone of the country’s electric industry as they install, remove, maintain, and repair high and low-voltage distribution lines and associated equipment and facilities.
Aside from maintaining public safety, she also said line workers are often on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to power outages and other emergencies, and are, thus, essential to ensuring that communities enjoy access to efficient, reliable, and continuous electrical service.
“Buhay ang araw-araw na itinataya ng lineworkers para masiguradong maliwanag at komportable tayo sa ating mga bahay. Dapat lang na masuklian ito ng katumbas na pagkilala at pagpapahalaga (The lives of our lineworkers are always at risk everyday just so they can sure that we can enjoy electricity and be comfortable in our own homes. It’s only fitting that we honor and give recognition to their efforts),” Hontiveros said of the bill
The senator also added this is part of the National Electrification Awareness Month celebrated every August by virtue of Proclamation No. 1743 which gives recognition to the contribution of the electrification program in nation building.
“Panahon na para kilalanin at bigyang parangal ang ating mga lineworkers. Nakakalungkot na sa kabila ng paghahatid nila sa atin ng liwanag, nakakubli sa dilim ang kanilang kabayanihan (It’s high time we recognize and honor all of our lineworkers. It’s sad that while they strive to bring light to us, their heroic acts are hidden in the dark,” she explained.
“Sa totoo lang, kulang pa ang isang araw sa isang taon para bigyang parangal ang 24/7 nilang pagharap sa peligro sa kanilang trabaho (the truth is, one day is not enough to recognize the constant risks they face on the job),” the senator added.
According to Hontiveros, the proposed law intends to confer timely and most fitting recognition of the critical role lineworkers play in ensuring the continuous delivery of power supply and restoring or rehabilitating devastated power distribution systems during calamities.
It also puts to task the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to coordinate with all stakeholders in the power industry, including consumers, in conducting lecture sessions, seminars, and other training programs to highlight the significance of the work done by electrical lineworkers.
“They are the backbone of the electric industry. Sa panahon ng bagyo at iba pang kalamidad, ang mga lineworkers ng ibat-ibang electric cooperatives sa buong bansa, sa pamamagitan ng Task Force Kapatid, ay nagdadamayan para sa mabilis na pagbabalik ng mga nasirang linya (During typhoons and other calamities, the lineworkers of the different electric cooperatives across the nation, through the Task Force Kapatid, work together so they can immediately repair damaged lines),” she said.
She also said lineworkers are considered most essential among the estimated 37,000 workforce in the distribution and transmission sectors of the power industry.
They are employed in 121 electric cooperatives, a dozen private distribution utilities all over the country, and the transmission lines operated and maintained by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).