The majority of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative member-consumers have voted in favor of the CENECO-Primelectric Holdings Inc. joint venture agreement, CENECO acting general manager Arnel Lapore said Sunday night, August 27.
The “yes” votes on Sunday breached the threshold of 50 percent plus one of the votes, but it will have to be the National Electrification Administration to declare that the JVA has been approved by the majority of the CENECO member-consumers, he said.
The CENECO board has already passed a resolution informing NEA of the results, he said.
On the sixth day of the plebiscite on Sunday the yes to the JVA votes reached 98,591 representing 55.53 percent of the total voters, Jonathan Cabrera, Primelectric Holdings Inc. spokesperson, said.
The no votes were 6,899, he said.
They needed 88,870 yes votes to hit the majority of the 177,737 total eligible CENECO voters, he said.
The JVA aims to upgrade and modernize the power distribution facilities in the CENECO coverage area to reduce power interruptions, ensure swift response to consumer complaints, make power installation easier, and bring down systems loss to ensure lower power rates, Cabrera said.
He said the overwhelming yes votes were the result of their massive Information, Education and Communication campaign.
Although the yes votes are now in the majority two more plebiscite dates are set on September 2 and 3.
Cabrera said the following were the vote results during the six previous plebiscite dates:
June 24: Yes – 13,587, No – 3,748;
June 25: Yes – 8,087, No – 2,319;
August 19: Yes – 24,641, No – 284;
August 20: Yes – 21,247, No – 250;
August 26: Yes – 25,245, No – 116; and
August 27: Yes – 5,784, No – 137.*