(Third from left) 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan (Libanan's office)

House Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan is hopeful that the revival of the 1MW Amanjuray Hydropower Plant in Eastern Samar will help ease the province’s prolonged electricity supply problem.

“We are counting on the hydropower plant’s restoration to help provide relief to Eastern Samar residents that have long been reeling from recurring outages and elevated electricity rates,” he said in a statement on Sunday, Feb. 25.

Libanan filed House Resolution (HR) No. 846 last year to seek an inquiry into Eastern Samar’s power issues, which caused electricity rates to shoot up amid frequent outages.

During the subsequent inquiry, the Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (ESAMELCO) blamed rising coal prices for the high generation charges.

The lawmaker was the keynote speaker at the ceremonial blessing and inauguration of the Amanjuray hydropower plant in Barangay Bolusao in the Municipality of Lawaan.

The plant is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric system that harvests the energy from the flowing water generated by the Amanjuray Falls, one of the four waterfalls in the Bolusao River Watershed Forest Reserve.

It was originally built by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) in 1991 with the help of a grant from the United Kingdom (UK). 

The NEA has since transferred the facility to ESAMELCO Renewable Energy Corp., which rehabilitated the system.

In his speech, Libanan said the Department of Energy (DOE) should encourage the development of small, environment-friendly renewable energy projects in the country’s far-flung areas to address rural electrification.

“There’s no question that the provision of adequate and stable electric services to rural barangays will produce greater economic opportunities for marginal families, such as those engaged in farming and fishing, and improve their quality of life,” he added.

Libanan previously served as Eastern Samar’s lone congressional district representative for three consecutive terms.