• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Senator Grace Poe yesterday endorsed the granting of franchise to the Negros Electric Power Corp. to maintain an electric power distribution in key localities of Negros Occidental
The endorsement was made by Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on Public Services, to grant the legislative franchises to power distribution utilities in Negros Occidental, Leyte, and Romblon, during the April 29 Senate plenary session.
“There’s no more fitting time than today to present three measures that will ensure our power consumers’ continued access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy, lalong-lalo na sa gitna ng malawakang at dumadalas na brownout at power interruptions iba’t ibang parte ng bansa (in the midst of widespread and frequent brownout and power interruptions in different areas of the country),” Poe said.
House Bill 9805 seeks to grant NEPC a 25-year franchise to distribute electricity in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
The franchise is specifically intended to serve the cities of Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, and Bago, as well as the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto, in the province of Negros Occidental, for 25 years.
Should NEPC’s franchise by fully approved by Congress, NEPC president Roel Castro said it will provide relief to Negros residents from CENECO’s service problems, which highlights the critical need for better electric services in the area.
CENECO entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with Primelectric Holdings Inc/NEPC.
In the proposed arrangement, CENECO will maintain a 30 percent ownership stake in the new business, while Primelectric/NEPC will acquire 70 percent of its assets.
ALBEE’s APPEAL
In the wake recent spate of power outages hitting Bacolod City, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez yesterday said that he will appeal to Senator Grace Poe to fast track the passage of franchise being sought by the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC), to pave the way for the massive rehabilitation of the power distribution facilities of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO).
“The frequent power outages in the CENECO franchise area is caused by the outdated equipment that needs to be replaced and affected by the intensifying summer heat,” Benitez said.
The bill, which seeks the granting of a franchise to NEPC, is still pending at the Senate committee on Public Services, chaired by Senator Grace Poe, following its approval in the House of Representatives.
NEPC has committed to spend about P4 billion in investments to rehabilitate and modernize the CENECO distribution facilities in areas of Silay City, Talisay City, Bacolod City, Bago City, Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto
House Bill No. 9805 that seeks the NEPC franchise is a measure borne out of public clamor for better power service in Negros Occidental.
During the start of the hearing of the bill, Poe said she has seen the performance of More Power in Iloilo City that has brought tremendous development to Iloilo, which she hopes to be replicated in Bacolod City.
NEPC president Roel Castro earlier said that they are committed, not only to rehabilitate and modernize the distribution system, aimed at providing better power service to Negrenses, but also bring down power rates.*
