By CESAR JOLITO III
Allegations of mismanagement, corruption and lack of transparency within electric cooperatives (ECs) in Northern Negros have prompted consumer watchdog group Alliance of Concerned Consumers in Electricity and Social Services (ACCESS) to sound the alarm on the state of the country’s cooperatives.
ACCESS President Wennie Sancho said ECs are failing to uphold their cooperative principles, leaving millions of member-consumer-owners burdened with high electricity rates and little tangible benefit from their contributions.
“ECs are ‘co-ops in name only,’” Sancho said, highlighting the failure of many cooperatives to return patronage refunds to members or involve them in key decisions.
He added that inefficiencies in service, delayed response to complaints, and unfair power rate practices remain persistent problems.
ACCESS’ concerns also extend to financial mismanagement, including contracts for excess power supply, inflated legal fees, unnecessary spending, and allegations of bribable officers — practices that compromise consumer confidence and the cooperative’s social mandate.
A survey conducted among electricity consumers in Northern Negros reportedly confirmed widespread dissatisfaction with the services provided by ECs, reinforcing ACCESS’ calls for reform.
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court in Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc. vs. Department of Finance, authored by Justice Mariano del Castillo, declared that the country’s 121 ECs function largely in name only, failing to embody the genuine cooperative principles envisioned under the 1987 Constitution.
Section 15, Article 12 of the Constitution underscores cooperatives as instruments of social justice and economic development — a mandate ACCESS says remains unfulfilled.
Sancho urged both government authorities and consumers to treat 2026 as a wake-up call, pushing for reforms that ensure ECs truly serve their member-owners rather than exploit them.
“Member-consumers should see tangible benefits from their contributions, not be left paying for inefficiency and corruption,” he said./CJ, WDJ