Central Negros Electric Cooperative acting general manager Ervin Stan Leo Ticar Thursday, Sept. 1, insisted that any power contract the coop has entered into has the approval of the Department of Energy, Energy Regulatory Commission, and the National Electrification Administration.
Ticar said he is confident that all Ceneco contracts will withstand scrutiny since they passed rigid process and were approved by the three government agencies, unlike before when there were negotiated contracts.
“We’re confident that we have the basis, we have the facts. Tanan nga mga kontrata. Wala may ma-approve nga contract without the approval of the DOE, ERC, and NEA. Gaagi sa buho sang dagum bag-o ma approve ang contract, unlike before na negotiated, indi na na siya puede,” he stressed.
Ticar was reacting to a letter-petition that calls for an investigation and criminal prosecution of the Ceneco Board of Directors and management, allegedly “for signing illegal (Power Supply Agreement) extensions and an illegal contract and the consequent high cost of electricity, brownouts, etc.”
The petition, with 312 online signatories as of 5:38 p.m. Sept. 1 and posted on the FB page of the Change for a Better Bacolod, asks President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Senator Raffy Tulfo – chairperson of the Senate Committee on Energy, and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez, “to look into the matter and help us file formal complaints in a proper court and the immediate registration of Ceneco to the Cooperative Development Authority”.
The petition was read at the start of the media forum initiated by Ceneco Thursday and attended by Ticar and members of the BOD, then each accusation was clarified one by one in a PowerPoint presentation.
“The rise of electricity rates is rooted on increasing cost of generation as affected by world fuel crisis and is happening all over the Philippines, except for those who availed of subsidized government rates,” they explained, adding that Ceneco even has lower rates compared to other electric cooperatives.
On the unexplained brownouts and unannounced load shedding scheme due to demand and supply, Ceneco said more than 50 percent of the brownout or outage is triggered by the transmission and generation facilities.
“Brownouts result to revenue losses for Ceneco, with no power, the kWh meter stops running,” a slide presentation read, adding that from April to July 2022, the average monthly outage/brownout (lost kWh) from outage within the coop’s distribution system stood at 257,914.45 kWh and 1,111,704.54 kWh for outage outside of its distribution system.
Ceneco also clarified that the refund to consumers of the P238 million over-recoveries as earlier ordered by the ERC has started. “The refund already started this August 2022 billing and will end in the July 2024 billing at a rate of P0.0965/kWh per month upon receiving the ERC Order on July 22, 2022. Ceneco has also implemented the refund of P149M over-recovery for the period 2018-2020 at a rate of P0.1509 kWh/month starting the January 2022 billing, and this will end in the Dec. 2022 billing”.
The Ceneco officials stressed that the accusations in the latest letter-petition are “all baseless and malicious”.
Tension erupted when Ceneco director Eugenio Velasco Jr. recalled a petition filed by Power Watch Negros against him and several previous and incumbent BOD members, and a former acting GM that led to their suspension for 30 days.
Power Watch Negros secretary general Wennie Sancho, who was at the forum held at the Ceneco office in Bacolod, took exception to Velasco’s claim of forum shopping and said that that petition had already been decided and should be put to rest.
He later told the media that a public hearing will be held on Sept. 7, and facilitated by Ticar./CGC
