Press Release
October 28, 2021

Gatchalian urges NEA to ensure BENECO's uninterrupted operations; to call for Senate inquiry

Senator Win Gatchalian pressed the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to ensure the continuing and uninterrupted supply of electricity in Baguio City and all 13 towns in Benguet province amid the leadership crisis in Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO).

This, even as NEA Administrator Emmanuel Juaneza gave word to Gatchalian in a recent budget hearing at the Senate that "there's no more trouble in the area insofar as BENECO is concerned."

Gatchalian is preparing to file a Senate resolution on the matter.

"Our concern is stability in that area. Baguio is a highly urbanized city and we don't want them to experience brownouts because of this commotion," Gatchalian said during the latest virtual hearing conducted by the Senate Finance Subcommittee E, adding that this type of incident creates uncertainty in the minds of consumers.

Gatchalian, before tackling the proposed P3.896-billion corporate operating budget of NEA for 2022, brought up the viral video reported by various news websites on what appeared to be a takeover of BENECO early morning of October 18 and which showed police officers storming the rural electric utility's office to impose preventive suspension orders on its president, seven board members, and general manager after they refused to recognize the new general manager appointed by the NEA.

Juaneza, who is just a few days into the office, stood ground on NEA's appointment of lawyer Ana Maria Rafael as general manager vice acting GM Melchor Licoben and told Gatchalian that NEA will no longer disrupt BENECO's operations.

An internal analysis of the BENECO's current mess showed that it was NEA that did not follow its own memorandum insofar as succession mechanism and selection process is concerned when it appointed the new general manager, Gatchalian said.

The Senate Energy Committee Chairperson cited NEA Memorandum 2017-035, the revised policy on the selection, hiring, termination of service/suspension for GMs of electric cooperatives, saying that it clearly provides for the rule allowing BENECO's board to select the GM of their choice and for NEA to step in only if the board rejects all pre-qualified applicants.

"We don't want NEA, the supervisor of all ECs, to be imposing people over a well-run, functioning coop and that is not the intention of the law. The intention of the law is for the ECs to govern themselves and NEA will just step in during problematic times, if it's badly managed or if it's an ailing coop," he further said.

"My plea to NEA is to review your own rules. Make sure that you follow your own rule and make sure that BENECO is running smoothly because we owe it to the people of Baguio. We have to make sure that electricity is continuously flowing to the homes of our constituents in Baguio," said Gatchalian.

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Gatchalian nakatakdang maghain ng resolusyon hinggil sa gusot sa BENECO

Hinimok ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang National Electrification Administration (NEA) na siguraduhin ang tuloy-tuloy na serbisyo ng Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) sa Baguio City at 13 bayan ng probinsya ng Benguet matapos ang napaulat na kaguluhan sa pamunuan nito.

Ginawa ito ni Gatchalian kahit na may pagtiyak na si NEA Administrator Emmanuel Juaneza sa nakaraang budget hearing sa Senado na panatag na at tapos na ang gulo sa BENECO.

Sa kabila nito, nakatakdang maghain ng resolusyon si Gatchalian hinggil sa nasabing gusot at inaasahang iimbestigahan ito sa Senado.

"Ang inaalala namin ay ang katatagan ng suplay ng kuryente sa nasasakupan nito. Ang Baguio ay isang urbanisadong siyudad at ayaw namin na makaranas ang mga taga Baguio ng brownouts dahil sa ganitong gulo," sabi ni Gatchalian sa gitna ng pagdinig ng Senate Finance Subcommittee E.

Aniya, hindi maiiwasan na mag-alala ang mga konsyumer kung may mga kaguluhang katulad ng nangyari sa BENECO.

Sa nakaraang pagdinig sa Senado kung saan tinatalakay ang panukalang P3.896 bilyon na corporate operating budget ng NEA para sa 2022, tinanong ni Gatchalian ang estado ng electric cooperative kasunod ng viral video ng sinasabing pag-takeover sa BENECO noong madaling araw ng Oktubre 18. Makikita sa nasabing video ang pagdating ng mga pulis upang magsilbi ng preventive suspension order sa presidente ng BENECO kasama na ang sa pitong board members at general manager na umano'y hindi kumikilala sa itinalaga ng NEA na bagong general manager.

Matapos na makabalik ang mga nagprotestang mga empleyado at opisyal ng BENECO, siniguro ni Juaneza na tapos na at wala nang mangyayaring kaguluhan sa operasyon nito kahit na nanindigan sya na may sapat na basehan ang pagtalaga kay Atty. Ana Maria Rafael bilang general manager kapalit ni acting GM Melchor Licoben.

Base sa pagsusuring isinagawa ni Gatchalian sa mga pangyayari at kaukulang mga dokumento, sinabi ng senador na ang NEA ang hindi sumunod sa sarili nitong kautusan sa mga usaping may kinalaman sa succession at selection process para sa pagtatalaga ng bagong general manager.

Inungkat ng Senate Energy Committee Chairperson ang NEA Memorandum 2017-035 kung saan nakasaad ang "revised policy on the selection, hiring, termination of service/suspension for GMs of electric cooperatives." Nakasaad dito ang alituntunin na nagpapahintulot sa BENECO board na pumili ng kanilang GM at maaari lamang makialam ang NEA kung tatanggihan ng board ang lahat ng mga aplikante.

"Ayaw natin ang NEA, na taga-pangasiwa ng lahat ng electric cooperatives (ECs), na magdikta sa isang maayos at kumikitang kooperatiba. Hindi iyon ang layon ng batas. Ang layon ng batas ay hayaan ng NEA ang mga ECs na pamahalaan ang sarili nila at pwede lamang itong manghimasok kung may kinakaharap nang suliranin ang isang koop, hindi na maayos ang pagpapatakbo dito o kung ito'y nalulugi na," paliwanag ni Gatchalian.

"Ang panawagan ko sa NEA ay suriin nito ang sarili nilang mga alituntunin at siguraduhin na sinusunod nila ito at maayos ang pagpapatakbo ng operasyon ng BENECO. Marapat lamang na masiguro natin sa mga taga-Baguio, sa mga kababayan nating nasasakupan nito, na tuloy-tuloy ang suplay ng kuryente sa kani-kanilang mga tahanan," pagtatapos ni Gatchalian.

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