• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Consumers’ groups in Negros are urging Central Negros Electric Cooperative to present the master list of member-consumers who voted during the plebiscite on the joint venture agreement (JVA) between the cooperative and the Negros Electric Power Corporation, to prove that the referendum was indeed clean and honest.
Pete Pico, Negros Consumers Watch convenor, yesterday said the plebiscite was illegal and has no moral basis, therefore it should be rejected by the consumer-members and agencies concerned. He cited that there was no information/education campaign conducted, and there were incidences of proxy voting, dead persons who voted, and some eligible CENECO consumer-members were not able to vote since their names could not be found.
Junjun Año of Consumer Negros said that if the plebiscite was indeed clean and honest, he challenged CENECO and the plebiscite committee to provide the list of eligible voters, including those who served as proxies and the lawyers who notarized their authorization.
“If they don’t provide us the list, we are calling on all consumers to go out in the streets and fight for your rights,” he said.
Lorgeline Alpers, who considered herself as a victim of unscrupulous persons, said someone voted in her behalf and for her deceased mother when she has not issued a special power of attorney (SPA) to anyone who would serve as her proxy and for her mother.
“They should not have manipulated the result of the plebiscite,” she said adding that everyone should hold accountable those who committed this “sin.”
Pastor Charlemagne Rojo said the integrity of the plebiscite is in question. This is now time for the church to participate and to let the people know what had happened.
Rev. Fr. Julius Espinosa, Social Action Center Caritas Bacolod director, said they have witnesses that the plebiscite was not honest. So they have agreed to issue a joint statement asking the church, Congress and the National Electrification Administration to look into the matter. What transpired is an insult to the intelligence of Bacolodnons and Negrenses.
CENECO cancelled the scheduled September 2 and 3 plebiscite on the JVA between the power utility firm and the Negros Electric Power Corporation, after securing the majority of the “Yes” votes.
The “Yes” votes totaled 98,591, representing 55.31 percent of the total number of 178,236 eligible CENECO member-consumer voters, while “No” garnered 6,899 votes.*
