The homeowners-consumers, composed of community associations in central Negros, represented by their chairpersons, have officially aired support for the granting of a congressional franchise to the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC).
The representatives from central Negros sponsored the House bill seeking the privatization of the electric power distribution in central Negros that is now pending before the Senate’s Committee on Public Services.
The homeowners-consumers groups, in a joint statement, voiced their disappointment in the service of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) that affects their daily living, a press release said Tuesday, March 19.
“CENECO, as an Electric Cooperative distribution utility, miserably failed to provide us with adequate power supply, resulting in massive blackouts, power outages, and brownouts. We were deprived of our need for reliable power supply and efficient services for several decades despite paying our monthly bills religiously”, Jesben Duday, chairperson of Parents of Purok Riverside Inc., said.
Julie Alob, Banago Yuhom Takers Association chairperson, also expressed dismay at the high systems loss of CENECO.
“The services of CENECO are inadequate contrary to our expectations. We have to bear the financial burden of the systems loss incurred by CENECO being passed on to our electricity rate charges”, she said.
A women’s organization also summarized its burdens whenever they suffer from unscheduled power interruptions, the press release said.
“Electricity is a basic necessity that affects the lives of all our family members and homeowners. We need electricity to prepare meals and to get news and information from the radio and television,” Nona Dela Cruz, Tinagong Paraiso Empowered Women’s Organization chairperson, said.
“Without power or energy, there is no water supply for drinking, personal hygiene, and daily chores at home. The safety and security of our homes and family members are in danger without light in the night’s darkness, “Dela Cruz added.
Mahimulaton Home Owners Association chairperson Jun Mart Tan also expressed their frustrations over the Electric Cooperative’s poor customer service.
“Instead of comfort and convenience, we have been suffering from inconvenience and frustrations that we do not deserve as consumers due to poor consumer care”, Tan said.
They believe there is an urgent need to rehabilitate the infrastructure of CENECO, and only the private distribution utility with the financial capability, technical, and managerial expertise can introduce that change, the press release said.
“We support the Congressional franchise application of NEPC, hopefully, to end, if not minimize power outages and other forms of frequency disturbances,” they stated in the joint statement submitted to the Senate.
The member-consumer-owners approved the Joint Venture of CENECO and NEPC in the plebiscite last year, the press release pointed out.
Primelectric Holdings Inc., the mother company of NEPC, will purchase all the electric distribution assets of CENECO through 70 percent cash and 30 percent share once NEPC gets the congressional franchise to operate in the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Silay, and Talisay and municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto, it said.*