BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The secretary general of Power Watch-Negros will be submitting a position paper during a public hearing today at the Sangguniang Panlungsod session hall in Bacolod City to highlight the indebtedness of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco).
Wennie Sancho yesterday said the electricity rates of Ceneco is one of, if not the highest in Western Visayas, with a forthcoming increase of P1 per kWh.
“It must be noted that despite the excessive charges in our monthly electric bill, the Third Party Bids and Awards Committee (TPBAC) had not initiated any competitive selection process (CSP) until now. There is no bilateral contract between Ceneco and a power supplier, but instead it relied on Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) which is the most expensive trader of electricity in the country,” Sancho said.
The consequential financial and rate spike ramifications on the consumers due to the ill-advised decisions of the Board of Directors (BOD) has caused financial burden that are so enormous to evade attention, he said.
So, Sancho said he has requested for a joint public hearing, which is set at 10 a.m. today at the SP session hall to be conducted by the SP Committee on Energy and Public Utilities chaired by Councilor Claudio Puentevella and the SP Committee on Laws and Good Governance chaired by Councilor Al Victor Espino, where he will be submitting a position paper that will highlight the indebtedness of Ceneco that will be charged to the consumers.
Among the important issues that will be taken up are the refund due to the consumers for overcharging an amount of P238 million, the P100 million loan of Ceneco from a bank, the financial obligation of Ceneco to KEPCO-Salcon Power Corporation amounting to more than P54 million that was forfeited by Ceneco, he said.
KEPCO and Ceneco have an existing one-year power supply agreement (PSA) for 20 megawatts which commenced on May 2021. This is an extended agreement after the previous 10-year contract expired in April last year.
Power Watch will be bringing this concern to Senator Raffy Tulfo, Sancho added.*
