Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, clarified that employees of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) could not be absorbed automatically by Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power).
This was stressed by Poe during the committee hearing on the franchise bill of Negros Power on Tuesday, March 5.
She believes there are employees of CENECO who are excellent in their jobs and deserve to be absorbed, but there are also lazy employees. So, it will be unfair to the joint venture company if they hire them automatically, Poe said.
The Senator advocated that hiring of employees must be based on performance and not based on the age, gender, or appearance of the employee, a press release said on Wednesday.
Poe said the joint venture company needs people who are working and are dedicated to their jobs to guarantee its success, “so employment is not a right; you also have to be able to fulfill your responsibilities.”
She also assured the employees that the granting of the franchise would be beneficial to them.
The Joint Venture Agreement of CENECO and Primelectric/NEPC and the proposed franchise gives first preference to CENECO employees in the hiring of the workforce of the new distribution utility for Central Negros.
Negros Power President Roel Castro informed the senator that there are more than 250 employees of CENECO who have already submitted their applications, and they are now in the process of hiring them.
In the hearing, Poe also emphasized the need for capitalization in a distribution utility service to support the progress of the franchise area.*PR