• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez yesterday said he is “pretty certain” that the House of Representatives (HOR) will grant the franchise being sought by the Negros Electric Power Corp. (NEPC).
The NEPC, which has a joint venture agreement with Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), seeks to acquire, establish, operate and maintain, for commercial purposes and in the public interest, a distribution system for the conveyance of electric power to end-users in the cities of Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, Bago as well as the municipalities Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto.
Benitez, Fourth District Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer and Abang Lingkod party- list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano co- sponsored House Bill (HB) 9310 that will grant a franchise to NEPC, which it said could change the way electricity reaches the end-users in central Negros.
Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya also signified his intention to support HB 9310, Benitez said.
In preparation for his defense of the bill before the House committee on franchise, when Congress resumes regular session on Nov. 6, Benitez yesterday visited the distribution facility of MORE Electric and Power Corp., sister company of NEPC in Iloilo City, to see its operations on the ground, and to hear their plans for Negros Occidental in case their franchise will be granted.
The lawmaker said he noted that MORE Power seems to have an approach for customer service and general systems efficiency that will redound to better services, less brownouts for Ceneco consumer-members, aside from infusing investments to badly needed infrastructure.
Benitez said they are hopeful that power rates will be reduced should NEPC operate just like what MORE Power did in Iloilo City.
HB 9310 will be referred to the committee on franchise for scheduled hearing and deliberations, the congressman said, adding he expects it will be approved by the Lower House in the first quarter of 2024.
It will be forwarded to the Senate for deliberations also by its committee on franchise, which he expects will be less contentious, he said.
Ceneco, whose franchise will expire in 2030, allegedly faces constraints due to its reliance on limited funding, no additional capital expenditures, and lack of access to modern technology.
NEPC said it is infusing an initial capital of P2 billion to rehabilitate and modernize electric power distribution to make it reliable and efficient to consumers, businesses, institutions, and other users within its franchise area.
Should NEPC be allowed to operate, Benitez said he expects fast economic growth due to power stability, which is now being enjoyed by the business community in Iloilo because of MORE Power services.
In the Third District, especially in the cities of Silay and Talisay, as well as Murcia, which form part of Ceneco coverage area, Benitez said they are trying to expand more into business process outsourcing and digital services, which require consistent power supply.” | GB
