Consumers’ group Power Watch Negros slammed the Category AAA or Triple A rating of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative Inc. (CENECO) given recently by the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
Power Watch secretary-general Wennie Sancho said Sunday, August 7, that the award is a “form of window dressing or an instance of making something appear more attractive in an attempt to redeem a tarnished image.”
This is another uproar amid the controversies hounding CENECO from mismanagement to neglect of duties, he added.
The Triple A Category is the highest rating given by NEA to electric cooperatives that have performed excellently in their operations. From 2016 to 2021, CENECO was able to maintain the Triple A status.
But Sancho chided NEA for being “oblivious” that only recently its Administrative Committee ruled to suspend six members of the CENECO board of directors for simple neglect of duty.
“This is an appalling contradiction because the CENECO-BOD who were penalized for securing an interim supply contract that was done without foresight and without due consideration with the prevailing rules were awarded, without looking into their missteps of depriving the member-consumers of a cheaper supply of power due to their poor judgment,” he said.
Sancho also scored CENECO’s non-reply to his request to discuss the concerns of the consumers.
Credit should be given where credit is due and the recipient should be worthy of the award, he stressed.*