The National Electrification Administration (NEA) has pushed for the creation of task forces that will address the "metering problems" of electric cooperatives (ECs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The government-run electrification agency announced that Task Force Metro-1 will resolve the dilemma of Maguindanao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MAGELCO); Task Force Metro-2 will deal with Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LASURECO); and Task Force Metro-3 will be aiding Tawi-tawi Electric Cooperative, Inc. (TAWELCO).
The all-inclusive goal of this initiative, according to NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano C. Almeda, is “to improve the collection efficiency of MAGELCO and other BARMM ECs.”
To recall, it has been a lingering dilemma of the power sector that some of the ECs in BARMM region are distressed with humongous debts – primarily MAGELCO and LASURECO – which have unsettled financial obligations with power suppliers that are running in billions of pesos.
As an initial bit of information, Almeda conveyed to the BARMM power utilities the delivery of at least 6,500 electric meters that will be installed primarily in the service domain of MAGELCO.
The NEA official relayed to them that the meters had been pledged by their electric cooperative-peers in Region VII and Region VIII or the power utilities catering to the electricity service needs of consumers in the Central and Eastern Visayas regions.
As noted by Almeda, “MAGELCO will receive a total of 27,000 electric meters from the Federation of Rural Electric Cooperatives in Region VIII (FRECOR-8) and Central Visayas Electric Cooperatives Association (CEVECA).”
Additionally, he indicated that about “20,000 electric meters will be donated by Central Luzon Electric Cooperatives Association (CLECA); Batangas I and II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BATELEC I and BATELEC II) to Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LASURECO).”
Beyond the creation of task forces that will address the ‘metering concerns’ of the ECs, Almeda emphasized that the electrification agency will also “review the contract of the outsourced meter readers of MAGELCO.”
With these initiatives being pursued to reinforce the operational efficiency of the BARMM electric cooperatives, Almeda appealed to the member-consumer-owners (MCOs) of the power utilities “to help their electric cooperative by paying their electric bills on time.”