By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

After sponsoring HB 8827, which seeks to grant the Gamboa-Hermanos Farmworkers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GHFMPC) the right to “construct, install, establish, operate, own, manage, and maintain distribution systems” to power Negros, Bacolod City lone district Rep. Greg Gasataya was met with criticism from former Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella.

“The incumbent congressman has a lot of questions to answer,” the former Bacolod City congressman said during a press conference yesterday.

He believes, if passed, it would “hurt every consumer in Negros” as it will reportedly “increase electricity bills.”

Puentevella stood by the city’s current power distributor, Central Negros Electric Cooperative Inc. (Ceneco).

“Ceneco has been servicing Bacolod City and nearby cities and municipalities since 1976 and has shown its expertise and capability in providing enough power for our households,” he said. “Privatizing Ceneco and replacing it with a farm workers cooperative to handle power distribution and management [begs] so many questions that need to be asked.”

The former mayor called on electricity cooperatives across the province to come out against the bill.

Earlier, Surigao Electric Cooperative and Dinagat Island Electric Cooperative General Manager Sergio Dago-oc said five pending bills have been submitted to the Lower House seeking franchises for private corporations in areas where an electric cooperative is already operating.

He said, if these bills pass, “Power consumers will have to pay higher electric bills.”

“These are private corporations that will want a return to their investments,” he added./DGB, WDJ