• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The National Electrification Administration granted the request of local chief executives under the franchise area of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative to temporarily suspend the plebiscite on the Joint Venture Agreement between CENECO and Primelectric Holdings Inc., in order to cleanse the voters’ list.
In compliance with NEA issued memorandum, CENECO acting general manager Atty. Arnel Lapore yesterday informed all the electric cooperative member-consumers that the JVA plebiscite scheduled on July 8 and 9 has been cancelled.
NEA chief Antonio Mariano Almeda, in his memorandum issued July 4, said the request of mayors within the franchise area of CENECO to temporarily suspend the plebiscite, citing complaints from CENECO member-consumer-owners (MCOs), that their names were not included in the voter’s list, with some names in the voters list already dead, while others have already relocated, have valid grounds to be granted.
Reiterating that NEA has no interest in whether the JVA is approved or disapproved, Almeda said they are concerned with the protection of the rights of CENECO’s MCOs, ensuring that their votes are properly accounted for, and that the legitimate processes wherein they exercise such rights are protected.
Acting on the request of Local Chief Executives, Almeda said that they granted the assistance requested, such as to verify and confirm the accuracy of plebiscite’s voters list, and to secure any and all systems, protocols, and/or procedures used to carry out the plebiscite, ensuring conformity with the verified and confirmed voter list, to be vetted by NEA.
To allow the processes to be implemented, CENECO has been ordered to suspend the conduct of plebiscite, not exceeding 60 days, he added.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday welcomed the move of NEA to suspend the JVA plebiscite, as requested by six mayors, namely Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo, Talisay City Mayor Jesus Antonio Neil Lizares III, Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego, Murcia Mayor Gerry Rojas, and Don Salvador Benedicto Mayor Laurence Marxlen dela Cruz. “
This exercise is very important. We are deciding the fate of CENECO. We are also deciding as far as electricity is concerned,” Lacson said.*
