Permission to add four days more for the plebiscite on the Central Negros Electric Cooperative and Primelectric Holdings Inc. (PHI) joint venture agreement is being sought, CENECO Acting General Manager Arnel Lapore said on Tuesday, June 13.
The plebiscite dates for CENECO consumer-members to enter their yes or no votes to the JVA are June 24 and 25 and July 1 and 2.
However, there have been requests to extend the voting period for two to four days more to give member-consumers a wider opportunity to vote, Lapore said.
It is also a request made by Rep. Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod Partylist), he said.
The CENECO franchise area covers Bacolod, Silay, Talisay and Bago cities and the municipalities of Salvador Benedicto and Murcia in Negros Occidental.
CENECO has 210,000 member-consumers and they need the yes votes of 50 percent plus one in the plebiscite for the approval of the JVA, Lapore said.
If the JVA is approved a joint venture company to be known as the Negros Electric and Power Corp. will purchase 70 percent of the power distribution system of CENECO, and the cooperative will retain 30 percent ownership.
Lapore said they have sought the Commission on Elections legal opinion on whether the additional plebiscite dates will not be in violation of its election period (August 28 to November 29) for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
It appears that the COMELEC has no objection based on a letter it sent, Lapore said.
So now it’s up to the National Electrification Administration, he said.
They are seeking permission from the NEA for four additional plebiscite dates, he said.*