COTABATO LIGHT and Power Co. (CLPC), an Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) subsidiary, reported a 14% increase in energy demand in its franchise areas in the Bangsamoro region in 2018 to 32 megawatts (MW) from 28 MW the previous year, and expects continued uptrend with the implementation of the new Bangsamoro Organic Law. “We are very pleased with our growth in 2018 and maintain this trajectory moving forward. We’ve seen impressive economic growth in Cotabato City, driven by the government’s efforts to bring in investors over the past few years,” Ben Caro C. Arkoncel, CLPC vice president and chief operations officer, said in a statement. CLPC said its customer base went up to 41,645 from 41,110, with the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a shopping mall, and a hotel, among its new clients. Aside from Cotabato City, CLPC also serves the towns of Datu Odin Sinsuat and Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao. The company is projecting an 8.47% growth in power demand this year with the transition into the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). “Several big investors are waiting for the stability of the BARMM before they start looking at the prospects of investing there,” Romeo M. Montenegro, Mindanao Development Authority deputy executive officer, earlier said. CLPC said part of AboitizPower’s P3.1 billion planned spending this year will be for modernizing its distribution assets. “We want to take advantage of the robust economic growth in our franchise areas by making sure power is delivered to our customers reliably, sustainably, and at the most cost-effective way,” said AboitizPower Distribution Group Chief Operating Officer Jaime Jose Y. Aboitiz. AboitizPower’s other distribution firms are the Davao Light and Power Co. and the Visayan Electric Co. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

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