BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Bacolod Councilor Claudio Puentevella said he has requested Central Negros Electric Cooperative during a public hearing yesterday to ensure that there will be no power interruptions during the MassKara Festival.
Puentevella, however, said the Ceneco management only assured that it will do its best to improve its services since it is not only the power utility firm that is responsible for the brownouts but also the power supplier.
He also said the Committee on Energy, which he chairs, will study the position paper submitted by Power Watch Negros during the committee hearing yesterday and make recommendations as to the outcome of the hearing.
Power Watch secretary general Wennie Sancho said the position paper serves as a public declaration to save Ceneco and its member-consumer-owners (MCOs) from further deterioration and financial collapse due to alleged anomalies and financial indebtedness that requires timely intervention and action by local government regulating bodies and the Congress of the Philippines.
Among the issues raised by Sancho in his position paper are the P238 million due to overcharging which Ceneco has yet to refund the consumers, Ceneco’s obligation to Kepco-SPC amounting to P159.7 million, loan of P100 million from a reputable bank, among others.
Puentevella lamented that the members of the Ceneco Board, who have the power to legislate and to give new policies to Ceneco, were not present during the public hearing yesterday. So, he will call for another hearing since there were several issues raised by Power Watch and other stakeholders that were not clarified.
He said they expect the members of the Ceneco Board to attend the next hearing to clarify these issues.*
