- GILBERT BAYORAN
The three Negros bishops issued a joint pastoral statement urging member-consumers to voice out their opinions about the ongoing plebiscite on the Joint Venture Agreement between the Central Negros Electric Cooperative and Primelectric Holdings Inc.
Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, and Kabankalan Bishop Louie Galvines urged the consumers “to study the terms of the JVA in careful details and make reasoned judgments on their impact and consequences, guided by the spirit of cooperativism, which has guided Ceneco since its founding”.
They also called on the NEPC (Negros Electric and Power Corporation) and Ceneco management, and other stakeholders, to observe transparency and accountability in the process of defining the terms of the JVA.
“Be vigilant and proactive in ensuring that the plebiscite is done in an honest, fair, and orderly manner,” the bishops said in their joint statement.
Results of the June 24 and 25, and Aug. 19 and 20 JVA plebiscite indicated that 67,562, or 91 percent of the 74,163-voter turnout, voted Yes to the JVA, while 6,601 voted No, according to the Ceneco JVA Over-All Plebiscite Committee.
Ceneco has 177,737 eligible voters.
Citing the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, the three bishops reminded everyone that “all business ventures must be mindful of the common good, putting the service of mankind above personal interests”.
It also encouraged Ceneco and consumers to seek government support and work for truly mutually beneficial terms with NEPC or whoever the cooperative will have to partner with.
The bishops also challenged the electric cooperative “to be truly an authentic cooperative after admitting its inutility to provide reliable and cheaper electricity to its constituents”.
The Ceneco management earlier disclosed that it is deeply indebted to government and private banks, lack the capex to maintain standard and reliable facilities, and forced to charge higher fees for its electricity per kilowatt-hour and services.
Some known figures in the local business sector, who requested not to be named, have lauded the bishops’ statement which they said is a win-win position that will benefit all./GB
