- MITCH M. LIPA
Fr. Ernie Larida, former director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Bacolod, bared his plans after he was elected director for District IV-Bacolod East of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative on March 13.
Larida, the lone candidate for District IV, was proclaimed after he garnered a total of 53 votes.
The first-ever priest to sit in the Ceneco Board of Directors said his priority is to institute rural electrification as many residents in remote barangays still have no access to electricity.
He wants to know the reason why there are a lot of houses in haciendas that don’t electrical lines, he added.
Improving the services of the electric cooperative is another priority, Larida said.
As a priest, Larida said he has listened to the sentiments of poor consumers on their increasing monthly power bills.
Another concern is the excessive brownouts and also how to solve technical concerns of the cooperative, he said.
Larida will be joined by a person with disability Antonino Panique, who has polio, in the board.
Panique was elected director of District V-Bacolod West after obtaining 1,307 votes to win over Rodolfo Song, who got 72 votes.
Meanwhile, consumer group Power Watch Negros expressed hopes that both Larida and Panique will serve as the voice of the poor consumers in the Ceneco Board.
Convenor Wennie Sancho said with Larida’s background in the Social Action Center, he can represent the real sentiments of the consumers and will be vigilant in all transactions of the board and the management, particularly in the procurement of power supply for 2021 onwards.
The Power Watch observed that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial establishments incurred a big drop in power consumption, and they are worried if Ceneco will continue to procure power supply that might be more than what is needed, Sancho said.
The two winning candidates were proclaimed by the District Election Committee chairpersons, headed by lawyers Rhodora Lo and Joel Cabalatungan, at the third floor, Annex Building of the main office. – MML
