TACLOBAN CITY, July 8 -- Amid a significant increase in electricity bills this month due to higher generation charges, the Regional Development Council (RDC) has approved a resolution urging that electric cooperatives (ECs) in Eastern Visayas be allowed to purchase power directly from the Leyte Geothermal Power Plant.

Allan Laniba, the RDC's private sector representative for the energy sector, on Thursday said the council approved the resolution as one of the measures to help reduce electricity costs in the region.

According to Laniba, the resolution seeks to enforce a provision of the country's Natural Resources Law, which mandates that host communities should be the primary beneficiaries of natural resources.

"Geothermal energy is wi...