San jose de buenavista: Governor Paolo Everardo Javier reported on Monday that 123,000 residents of Antique have availed of the Provincial Electric Power Subsidy (PEPS) implemented during his first 100 days in office. In his State of the Province Address (SOPA), he said true to his campaign promise to provide financial relief to his constituents, 53,000 residents with less than PHP500 in their monthly billing no longer pay their bills, while 75,000 have reduced payment starting August.

According to Philippines News Agency, Antique has made history as the first province in the Philippines to implement a subsidy program like PEPS for every resident. The beneficiaries are power consumers of the Antique Electric Cooperative (Anteco) and Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco). Governor Javier expressed gratitude to the Antique provincial board for approving the budget for the subsidy, which was sourced from the province’s share of the national wealth.

In addition to the subsidy, Governor Javier announced plans to establish a Padayon Center at the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) in San Jose de Buenavista. This center aims to provide zero billing, allowing patients to access medicines and medical supplies for free. Javier stated, “We will start first with the ASMGH with the establishment of the Padayon Center this year or next,” noting that it will complement the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. program on zero billing.

Governor Javier urged the provincial board to pass an ordinance for creating the Padayon Center at ASMGH and eight district hospitals in the province, and to allocate funds for its implementation.