The provincial government here has allotted PHP425 million for the Provincial Electric Subsidy Program (PESP) for 169,000 households, starting the August billing period.

The beneficiaries of the PHP500 subsidy for each household are those connected with the Antique Electric Cooperative (Anteco) and Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco) as of June 30.

Anteco serves 154,471 household consumers, while Akelco has 15,315 household consumers.

The PHP425 million was included in the PHP574.24 million Supplemental Budget No. 3 approved by the provincial board during its regular session on Monday.

It will cover the subsidy until December.

“The subsidy is intended to provide leeway for Antiqueño households to be able to save some money for their rice and other basic needs instead of paying only their power consumption,” Antique Provincial Development Council (PDC) Secretary General Bienvenido Nallos Jr. said.

The remaining amount of PHP149 million will be for the July salaries of contract of service workers in eight district hospitals and the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) of Antique.

IPHO chief Dr. Ric Noel Naciongayo said that there was a delay in their salaries because of the shift to the new administration.

“There are 10 doctors at the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) who have different specializations and other health personnel in the other hospitals who have been affected by the delay,” he said in an interview.

Naciongayo said the ASMGH, the provincial hospital in San Jose de Buenavista, receives double or triple its 100-bed capacity daily, so there is a need for more contractual workers. (PNA)