Authorities, Powers and Directives.
Section 5
SEC. 5. Authorities, Powers and Directives.— The Board of Administrators is hereby authorized, empowered and directed to promote, encourage and assist public service entities, particularly cooperatives, to the end of achieving the objective of making service available throughout the nation on an area coverage basis as rapidly as possible; and for such purpose it is hereby, without limiting the generality of the foregoing and in addition to other authorizations, powers and directives established by this Act, specifically authorized, empowered and directed: (a) To make loans to public service entities, with preference to cooperatives, for the construction or acquisition of generating, transmission and distribution facilities and all related properties, equipment, machinery, fixtures, and materials for the purpose of supplying area coverage service and thereafter to make loans for the restoration, improvement or enlargement of such facilities: Provided, That the public service entity applying for a loan, if neither a cooperative nor a local government, must be in operation at the time of application; (b) To assist public service entities, with preference to cooperatives, in planning, developing, coordinating, establishing, operating, maintaining, repairing and renovating facilities and systems for supplying area coverage service, and for such purpose to furnish, to the extent possible from the NEA technical staff and otherwise but without charge therefor, technical and professional assistance and guidance, information, data and the results of any investigations, studies or reports conducted or made by the NEA; (c) When sufficient funds therefor are not available from the revolving fund hereinafter established, to serve, without charge for such service, as the agent of public service entities which are cooperatives or local governments in securing loans directly to such entities from any other source for the same purposes for which NEA loans are authorized in subparagraph (a) of this section; and to approve or disapprove any other loans to cooperatives as provided for in section 11 of this Act; (d) To receive from cooperatives all articles of incorporation, amendment, consolidation, merger, conversion and dissolution, and all certificates of changes in the location of principal offices and of elections to dissolve, and, upon determining that such are in conformity with this Act, to certify the same, to file them in the records of the NEA, and to maintain a registry of such filing: Provided, That the duties specified in this subsection shall be performed by the Administrator under the supervision of the Board of Administrators; (e) To so cooperate and coordinate the NEA's administration with, to exchange such information, studies and reports with, and to seek ,such cooperation and coordination from, other departments, agencies and instrumentalities of the National Government, including the National Power Corporation, as will most effectively conduce to the achievement of the purposes of this Act; and (f) At least annually, not later than January 31st, to report to the President and the Congress on the status of electrification of the Philippines, including a comprehensive reporting of loans made, loan funds advanced, loans secured from other sources and the advances thereof, the names and locations of the borrowers, the number of services contemplated by such loans, the number actually receiving service as a result of such loans, the number of electrified and the remaining number of un-electrified premises throughout the Nation, the amounts of usage by consumers, loan and other activities programmed for the ensuing year, and all such other information and data as will accurately reveal the progress being made toward achievement of the purposes of this Act; and to publish such report for dissemination to and use by other interested departments, agencies and instrumentalities of the National Government and by borrowers under this Act.