The consumers group Power Watch is upbeat that the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) will provide reliable power to meet the needs of the growing economy in Bacolod City, while San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza aired his concerns.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on second reading House Bill No. 9805, which seeks to grant a franchise to NEPC to take over the electric power distribution system of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO).
The franchise would allow NEPC to establish, operate, and maintain an electric power distribution system in the cities of Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, and Bago, and the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental for 25 years.
Alminaza, in an open letter of reflection on Lent on Wednesday, February 14, said he is concerned by the joint venture agreement between Central Negros Electric Cooperative and MORE Power.
The concerns raised by many is that the agreement might lead to increased electricity rates, jeopardize the job security of CENECO workers, and potentially consolidate power in ways that could harm the common good — are not just economic or political issues, Alminaza said.
Power Watch Negros Secretary-General Wennie Sancho, in a statement issued Wednesday, said he is optimistic that the NEPC will advance the welfare of the electricity consumers in the franchise area of CENECO, by providing reliable power “to fuel our growing economy and population”. *