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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Friday, October 13, 2017
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BACOLOD City – Rep. Greg Gasataya wanted the House of Representatives energy committee to look into the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) order authorizing the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) to collect from its member-consumers an additional charge to pay its contract balance.
Gasataya filed House Resolution No. 1404 requesting the House energy committee to study the ERC order.
On June 27, the ERC approved the joint application of Ceneco and the Kepco Salcon Power Corp. (KSPC) for a load factor-based pricing scheme on monthly reconciliation of the unpaid amount under their supplemental agreement.
The ERC allowed Ceneco to charge its consumer-members an additional P.0817 per kilowatt-hour monthly for 50 months until its P232,010,090 unpaid contract quantity with KSPC is recovered.
Ceneco general manager Sulpicio Lagarde said they will start collecting the extra charge on Oct. 25.
Gasataya said the ERC order directing Ceneco to increase its monthly charge needs legislative intervention to “secure affordability of utilities and ensure the protection of consumers.”
Ceneco supplies electricity to an estimated 1,069,073 residents of Bacolod, Silay, Talisay cities and Salvador Benedicto and Murcia towns, who will be affected by the price hike, Gasataya said.
“Concerns over the impending electricity price hike have been consistently expressed by many residents and Ceneco member-consumers of Bacolod,” part of the resolution stated.
The price hike was earlier challenged by the Social Action Center (SAC) of the Diocese of Bacolod, which filed a motion for reconsideration against the ERC order.
The motion stated the ERC “failed to materially and substantially appreciate the uncontroverted facts of the case.”
Lagarde said SAC’s appeal was a “good thing.” He explained that the appeal’s approval will “be favorable to consumers and indirectly to Ceneco.”/PN
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