The amendments to Central Negros Electric Cooperative’s (CENECO) articles of incorporation and bylaws were approved with slight revisions during ita virtual 43rd Annual General Membership Assembly Sunday afternoon, September 26.
Also approved at the AGMA were the CENECO Union of Rational Employees Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Responsible Supervisory and Confidential Union of Employees Memorandum of Agreement.
Members of the consumers’ group, Power Watch Negros, staged a picket in front of CENECO Sunday morning to oppose the holding of the AGMA.
What transpired at the AGMA is tantamount to trampling on basic rights of CENECO’s consumers, Power Watch Negros secretary General Wennie Sancho said.
Sancho condemned what he called the irregular, insidious and high-handed way the CENECO constitution and by-laws was amended and the Collective Bargaining Agreement between labor and management was ratified.
“All the illegal processes involved in holding the AGMA were deceitful measures carefully planned and covered with a cloak of legality,” Sancho said.
“The democratic space in the so-called AGMA was closed, hence there was no democratic participation but a reenactment of selected participants to implement their hidden agenda,” he claimed.
The consumers were led into a bait and switch situation – the bait was enticing the consumers with cash rewards and other prizes at the AGMA and the switch was to cow them into submission for the approval and ratification of the agenda that they could not comprehend, he said.
“The AGMA was the unfolding of a drama that would further exploit and oppress the consumers by the people who have been sworn to defend their interest,” Sancho added.
A live streaming does not involve substantial interaction between the parties, the AGMA therefore is null and void, he said.
Several revisions to the amendments of the CENECO articles of incorporation and bylaws were made based on inputs provided by former CENECO president Arnel Lapore.
Among the revisions sought by Lapore was the deletion of the sentence that states that “The cooperative, however, may not provide electric service to persons who refuse to donate the necessary right of way for any construction, repair, improvement or expansion project of the Cooperative as well as for the operation or maintenance.”
He proposed the deletion for being contrary to the right to due process, Lapore said.
Former Negros Occidental Gov. Rafael Coscolluela raised the fact that the minimum requirement for an AGMA quorum is only “100 members personally present”.
It is easy to limit participation of members to a selected few, and there is no provision for attendance by Zoom or other interactive electronic means, he said.
Zoom attendees, although considered “present” at the AGMA had a difficult time getting unmuted so they could speak out, he said.
“This was not very empowering for consumer members,” he said.
Coscolluela also sought an amendment to the provision that states that it shall be the obligation of the member-consumer “to take proper care of the coop’s equipment installed in his premises”.
He said maintenance and care of the meter and lines is not within the consumer’s competence. This should be expressed in clearer language, he said.
Ceneco general manager Danny Pondevilla agreed to act on Coscolluela’s concerns.
The AGMA was presided over by Ceneco’s president Jojit Yap.*