CEBU CITY – The Department of Energy (DoE), and the Visayan Electric Company (VECO) are expected to formally sign a Memorandum of Agreement Thursday for the official start of the distribution of 250,000 compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in Cebu City.

To recall, during the recent consultation on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Climate Change in this City, Allan Bacudo, DoE Science Research Specialist II of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Division bared that the MOA will task VECO to take charge of distributing the CFLs to household residents here.

Under the MOA, the VECO will identify the distribution center where household residents will exchange their incandescent bulbs (IB) for CFLs, as part of Government’s initiative to save energy consumption.

“After VECO identifies its distribution center, household residents can then exchange up to a maximum of six IBs for six CFLs provided that the IBs are not broken and in good condition,” he said.

Bacudo explained that household residents of this city are the first recipients of the CFL distribution, with other cities immediately following.

DoE’s Switch to Efficient Lighting project, which is highlighted with the use of CFLs, is the Department’s tagline in its aim to hit the target distribution of 13 million CFLs in the country that will run either until end of 2010 or early 2011.

Further, the distribution of the 13 million CFLs is divided into three parts, with the first part expected to distribute 5 million CFLs covering identified areas of power distribution utilities Meralco for Metro Manila, Davao Light for Davao City, Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company, Inc for Cagayan de Oro and VECO for this city.

Of the 5 million CFLs, which will be distributed in a span of three months, Metro Manila garnered the highest allocation with 4.45 million CFLs distribution followed by Mandaue City’s household residents with 250,000 CFLs, Davao City with 200,000 CFLs and Cagayan de Oro with 100,000 CFLs.