Leaders of two Central Negros Electric Cooperative labor unions on Friday, March 17, aired their opposition to an unsolicited proposal of two firms for a joint venture agreement with CENECO.
The CENECO management has sent the proposal of MORE Electric and Power Corp. and Manila Electric Co. to the Energy Regulatory Commission for review.
Leo Guilaran, Responsible Supervisory and Confidential Union of Employees president, said CENECO is not ailing and does need to enter into a JVA. Rommel Jerez, Ceneco Union of Rational Employees president, said their opposition to the JVA is not just a fight of the CENECO employees but also of its member of consumers.
They said a JVA would cause higher electricity rates because of the private firms’ desire for profit, the electrification of distant areas under CENECO’s franchise area will stop, the interest of the capitalists will take precedent over the consumers, and a lot of employees of the cooperative will lose their jobs.
More than 350 CENECO employees as of Friday had signed a position paper opposing the JVA, which they will send to ERC, they said.
They are also calling on the local governments of the areas covered by CENECO and member consumers to join them in their opposition to the JVA.
The Negros Consumers Watch also aired its opposition to the JVA.
The group claimed that the JVA will transform CENECO from public service to being profit oriented, increase power rates and result in the retrenchment of the cooperative’s workers.*