BACOLOD City – At least 5,000 consumers were found without legal electric meters, and 80,000 electrical lines were unsealed, under the franchise area of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) in this city.
Negros Electric Power Cooperative (NEPC) president Roel Castro revealed this during the Negros Island Power Forum on Wednesday in Bacolod City.
According to Castro, this was discovered after almost three weeks of surveying about 200,000 consumers of Ceneco.
Citing the figures, Castro said these resulted in, at the very least, a 12 percent overall loss for Ceneco.
The NEPC’s survey is still ongoing to determine the total number of electric meters needed for the takeover of Ceneco’s operations.
In the name of fairness and compassion, Castro said those with illegal connections will be prompted to apply for a legal connection.
But he also expressed with firmness that they are willing to file charges against those who deny the power theft despite already being caught.
“For every illegal connection, the ones that absorb the pilferage are the ones paying the electricity,” Castro said. “It is unfair for those who are paying religiously.”
Ceneco and Primelectric Holdings, Inc., the mother company of NEPC, entered into a joint venture agreement where NEPC will purchase the electric distribution assets of Ceneco once NEPC gets the congressional franchise to operate in the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Silay, and Talisay and the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental.
Meanwhile, among the matters discussed in the power forum spearheaded by the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the creation of the power development coordinating council for Negros Island.
Engr. Jose Rey Maleza, Chief Science Research Specialist of the Department of Energy-Visayas, said the department is supporting the plan, which is seen to facilitate the formulation of projects and the solution of problems with electricity./PN
