Power Watch Negros Advocates Inc., a consumer advocacy group, held its first Consumers Education and Awareness Program (CEAP) in Sagay City, Negros Occidental Monday.
The PWNA was led by its secretary general Wennie Sancho, in coordination with Rev. Melvin Mangana, president of the Negros Kasapulanan a province-wide association of evangelical churches. The venue of the forum was at the Negros Baptist Bible College (NBBC) in Sagay City.
The activity is in line with the policy of the State to protect the interests of the consumers and promote their general welfare as provided for in RA 7394 and the Magna Carta for Household Electricity Consumers. Consumer protection is linked with the idea of consumers and the formation of consumer organizations.
The forum was attended by 25 participants from multi-sectoral groups composed of the youth leaders, consumers, church workers and pastors of the Baptist churches.
The participants submitted their voluntary evaluation on the efficiency and performance of the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO) as a distribution utility. In their reports it was established that they are dissatisfied with the performance of NONECO. They were suffering from brownouts and blackouts, power outages often occurred, and there were long delays in the restoration of power, and the high cost of electricity rates, among others.*
