Ailing power co-ops down to 8 in ‘19
Credit to Author: Jordeene B. Lagare| Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2020 16:13:16 +0000
THE total number of ailing electric cooperatives (ECs) have declined to eight as of end-2019, with the majority located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), according to the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
In a recent interview, NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong said problematic ECs are the Abra Electric Cooperative (Abreco), Albay Electric Cooperative Inc. (Aleco), Masbate Electric Cooperative Inc. (Maselco), Ticao Island Electric Cooperative Inc. (Tiselco), Tawi-tawi Electric Cooperative Inc. (Tawelco), Basilan Electric Cooperative Inc. (Baselco), Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative Inc. (Lasureco), and Sulu Electric Cooperative Inc. (Suleco).
Masongsong said Maselco, Suleco, and Ticao have requested the agency to remove them from the list of power co-ops in the red. Moreover, he is optimistic the number of problematic ECs will further decline.
“Ang palagi kong sinasabi itong mga… marami ng magagaling… magaganda na ang mga operations ng electric cooperatives ngayon kaya lang hindi mo maiwasan na may mga problema yung… may mga problematic ECs. Unang-una yung usapin na talaga na peace and order (I’ve always said operations of electric cooperatives are improving but certain problems of problematic ECs were beyond their control such as peace and order),” he told reporters.
For instance, several challenges being experienced by ECs in the BARMM area include peace and order, accessibility and poverty.
Calamity is another factor that impact the overall performance of ECs. “Pag may calamity, maapektuhan talaga ang operation and management ng electric cooperatives (Calamities affect operation and management of electric cooperatives),” the NEA chief added.
Sought for comment, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the Department of Energy is lending a hand to power co-ops to help them carry out their mandate of providing power services in the provinces.
“We don’t like any cooperative to be ailing. We’re not looking for faults. What we are doing is to encourage them to really work, achieve their mandate. We are helping them to achieve their mandate,” Cusi told reporters.
In August last year, NEA reported that 87 out of 121 power co-ops in the country received the highest rating. Of the total number, 24 ECs received a perfect score of 100 in all the performance parameters.
But the agency amended the guidelines for evaluating their overall performance. This includes the EC energization level that is measured by the number of consumer connections attained under a given timeline based on the official reports and/or documents submitted by the power co-op.