By Mae Singuay
“This is more than anything. It is really to deliver better service for the consumers.”
Those were the words of Roel Castro, president of Primelectric Holdings Inc., a sister company of MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power), during the signing of a joint venture agreement (JVA) with Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) in Bacolod City on Saturday, June 3.
Ceneco president Jojit Yap and acting general manager Arnel Lapore also spearheaded the JVA signing.
Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, Abang Lingkod Party-list Representative Stephen Paduano, and several punong barangays in the coverage areas of Ceneco witnessed the event.
Castro described the Primelectric-Ceneco JVA signing as “historic,” not only for Ceneco but also for MORE Power.
“MORE is here to extend whatever technical [and] financial needs,” he added.
For his part, Ferrer said the JVA is a good move for the Ceneco board of directors and MORE Power.
“We have discussed this, and more local government units [under the coverage areas of Ceneco] decided in favor of the JVA,” Ferrer cited.
He is confident that the Primelectric-Ceneco partnership will push through.
“Basi masobra pa ni sa 50 [percent] plus one kay nakita ang advantage para sa consumers. Just today, nakita ko may bill deposit refund sa consumers coming from MORE Power, based in Iloilo City. Why not nga indi ta paghimuon diri,” the vice governor said.
Meanwhile, Lapore said the JVA will become effective once the 50 percent plus one or majority of member-consumer-owners (MCOs) will ratify the agreement with a “yes” vote through a plebiscite on June 24 to 25 and July 1 to 2.
At present, Ceneco has 210,000 MCOs in franchise areas in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental cities of Silay, Talisay and Bago; and the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto.
Lapore said he was happy that the signing was done with the support of local officials.
This will be a great opportunity for Ceneco to modernize its facilities, address frequent brownouts caused by old power facilities and infrastructure, and system losses from P15 million to P20 million per month, which is worth the electric cooperative’s income in a month, the acting general manager pointed out.
Vista Alegre Barangay Captain Jose Maria Leandro Norberto de Leon said he supports the Primelectric-Ceneco partnership if this will benefit consumers and could be the answer to frequent brownouts and higher power rates.
De Leon also said that with the JVA, Ceneco should be transparent in all aspects, particularly in the financial.
Now or never
“As far as distribution utility [DU] is concerned, kung gusto ta magbag-o ang serbisyo sang DU sa Bacolod City kag sa kaupod nga franchise areas sang Ceneco, this is now or never,” Paduano told barangay captains during a JVA presentation by MORE Power before the signing.
Paduano cited that during MORE Power’s franchise application at the House of Congress four years ago, he was in the opposition in defense of another local power distributor, the Panay Electric Company.
However, after three years, Paduano said to look at Iloilo City now.
He said even Iloilo City mayor [Jerry Treñas] always praises and says Iloilo was not wrong for accepting MORE Power.
“Nagnubo na ang ila rates. Just today, I have with me the news that under the law, supposedly, ang imo ginbayran pag natakod mo after three years, dapat ibalik ina sa consumers. And this is the first time in the history of the distribution company in the whole country that the DU refunded the bill deposit,” Paduano said.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on energy and public utilities chair, Councilor Claudio Jesus Puentevella, will conduct a public consultation in relation to the JVA at the SP Session Hall today.
MORE Power is expected to present the JVA, according to Puentevella.
The councilor said he also scheduled a public consultation after the city council received several position papers from groups that are against or in favor of the JVA./MS, WDJ