The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (PHILRECA) has thrown its support behind a bill aimed at providing mandatory insurance coverage and benefits to lineworkers in the power sector.
PHILRECA executive director and general manager, Atty. Janeene Depay-Colingan, described the bill, filed by Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as a significant milestone for lineworkers and the electric cooperative-member-consumer-owner (EC-MCO) movement.
She expressed hope that it would receive Senate approval, acknowledging that lineworkers put their lives on the line daily to ensure a consistent electricity supply for homes and businesses.
Colingan emphasized that it was a moral obligation to provide them with the necessary assistance and benefits they deserve.
Senate Bill 2303 mandates private distribution utilities, electric cooperatives, and transmission or grid operators to provide insurance coverage to their lineworkers.
Additionally, the bill requires employers of lineworkers to grant extra benefits, including retirement and disability benefits, death and burial assistance, and medical expense reimbursements, among others.
A similar measure, House Bill No. 7561, also known as the “Line Workers Insurance and Benefits Act,” has already passed the House of Representatives on its third and final reading.
