The Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) and other business and sectoral groups are seeking a congressional inquiry into the operations of the Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative (NORECO II) due to concerns about power reliability and service quality.
NOCCI president Edward Du said at a press conference Tuesday, September 1, that they had submitted a position paper to Congress opposing the early renewal of NORECO II’s legislative franchise, which is set to expire in February 2033.
“We have three issues: System loss and brownouts, but for the business sector, our primary concern is low voltage, which is the biggest loss for businessmen,” Du said.
He said brownouts could not be addressed immediately because solving the problem would require additional power plants, which would take time and require substantial investment.
System loss is also difficult to address because it may stem from both technical and non-technical factors, he added.
Du said that persistent low voltage had already affected businesses, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
He said NORECO II should acknowledge the problem so the business sector and other stakeholders could work with the cooperative to find solutions.
A stakeholders’ dialogue was held on Aug. 15 to address concerns raised against NORECO II. However, Du said the cooperative’s representatives maintained that they were not experiencing low voltage.
A joint position paper dated Aug. 27 was submitted to Congress and addressed to Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer (Neg. Or., 4th District), the chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Franchises.
Copies were also furnished to Rep. Maria Isabel Sagarbarria, (Neg. Or., 2nd District), Rep. Janice Degamo (Neg. Or., 3rd District) and Rep. Sergio Dagooc (APEC Party-list) and Rep. Presley De Jesus (PHILRECA Party-list).
Aside from low voltage, the position paper raised concerns about aging power infrastructure, unresolved consumer claims for damages, and issues involving service reliability, capitalization, and accountability.
Du clarified that the groups were not seeking the outright non-renewal of NORECO II’s legislative franchise but wanted its renewal put on hold until the issues are addressed.
“They still have seven years until 2033 to take action to resolve all the concerns raised against them,” he said.
The position paper was signed by representatives of the Negros Oriental Resorts, Hotels and Restaurants Association; Negros Oriental Dive Association; Zamboanguita Dive Leisure Resorts; and Baslay Highland Agriculture Cooperative.
Du said the low-voltage problem is particularly affecting the tourism industry in Dauin and surrounding areas, where numerous resorts and dive shops operate.*PNA
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