Laguna leaders affirm benefits from hydroelectric power facilities

 Laguna leaders affirm benefits from hydroelectric power facilities

KALAYAAN, Laguna (PIA) — Local chief executives from various municipalities in Laguna have welcomed the newly-privatized hydroelectric power plants as sources of reliable energy and employment opportunities for their communities. 

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who turned over the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan Hydroelectric-Power Plants (CBK HEPP) to private partners on February 9, said the privatization reflected investor confidence in the country’s energy sector.

According to Kalayaan Municipal Mayor Sandy Laganapan, the project’s construction initially faced backlash from the local government due to public complaints about the inconveniences it caused during implementation. 

However, after the project was completed, it proved to be beneficial to residents, as it provided them with an affordable and reliable supply of electricity within the municipality, the mayor said.

“Now that it has been privatized, it has provided significant benefits. We were supposed to be a fourth-class municipality, but we became a third-class municipality, which is why I am grateful to CBK and to Aboitiz. I am confident and hopeful that this partnership will continue,” Laganapan stated in an interview during the ceremonial turnover.

For Lumban Mayor Belen Raga, the facility has also provided employment opportunities for local residents, in addition to the support it has extended to the community through medical missions, Christmas programs, scholarship assistance, and calamity assistance that address the community’s needs.

“Their tax payments have been a great help, and many residents of Lumban were also able to secure employment with the help of CBK,” Rada said. 

The chief executives also underscored the significance of collaboration between the government and the private sector, noting that such partnerships create more employment opportunities, stimulate economic growth, and enable the delivery of essential services that directly benefit local communities. 

Meanwhile, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin assured the public that the plants’ privatization will not lead to increased power rates noting that the electricity industry is strictly regulated and that any adjustment in charges must first undergo review and approval by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). 

Secretary Garin said: “Almost all of our power generation facilities, except for some parts of Napoco, are privately owned. The risk people worry about is whether these companies will abuse their position, will they increase prices just to earn more? No, because the electricity industry is highly regulated industry. The ERC sets limits on pricing.”

With the turnover to new management, the CBK HEPP continues to play a crucial role as a critical energy component not only in the province of Laguna but also as a vital energy component of the Luzon power grid. 

It is one of the largest hydropower facilities in Luzon consisting of three plants: Caliraya, which stores water; Botocan, which generates power from flowing river water; and Kalayaan, which balances electricity supply and demand during peak hours.

The successful privatization of the CBK HEPP highlights strong investor confidence in the country’s energy sector and, as President Marcos noted during the official turnover, exemplifies how strategic public–private collaboration transforms infrastructure investments into reliable, everyday services Filipinos can trust. (CO/PIA-CALABARZON)