By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Ceneco) board of directors proposed holding a referendum during the upcoming Annual General Membership Assembly (AGMA) on April 30. However, Ceneco General Manager Sulpicio Lagarde, Jr. believes combining the two events may be against the rules.
“We cannot see any possible reason for the referendum and AGMA to be enjoined because it is not feasible and we may be violating some rules,” he explained.
Lagarde added, if the referendum is held and rules are broken, the entire process could be deemed null and void.
In defense of the proposal, Ceneco President Arnel Lapore said, “We want to save costs.”
He said the same people attending AGMA are the same people who would vote in the referendum.
“Why not make use of the whole day for the referendum?” the co-op president asked. “Close the precinct by 3:00 p.m. and proceed with AGMA.”
Lapore also took a jab at management, saying, “If management is not prepared to disseminate information in order for people to understand what the [referendum] is all about, then, we can move it.”
“We will pursue AGMA on April 30 without the referendum,” he added.
The referendum stems from a 2014 memorandum to all electric cooperatives nationwide, which poses the question to consumer-members if their co-op should operate as a non-stock, non-profit cooperative under the National Electrification Administration (NEA); a stock cooperative under the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA); or a stock corporation under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)./WDJ