14% TURNOUT ON FIRST 2 DAYS: Go out and vote, guv tells Ceneco consumers

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose Lacson reiterated his call for Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) consumer-members to go out and vote in the plebiscite on the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) that the electric cooperative entered into with a private firm.

“If you’re eligible to vote, I strongly recommend that you go out and vote,” Lacson said Tuesday.

A total of 27,741 Ceneco member-consumers voted in the first two days of the plebiscite on the JVA between Ceneco and Primelectric Holdings Inc. on June 24 and 25.

Based on data from the overall plebiscite committee, 21,674 voted yes while 6,067 voted against the JVA.

With 192,188 member-consumers considered eligible voters, the voting turnout for the first two days of polling was 14.4 percent.

Primelectric led by billionaire Enrique Razon is the umbrella company of Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC), which will acquire and take over Ceneco assets if consumers ratify the JVA. NEPC is a sister of MORE Power, the power distributor in Iloilo City.

Lacson said the next two voting weekends are very crucial.

“It is not enough to say yes without voting,” Lacson said.

The next plebiscite voting dates are on July 1 to 2 and July 8 to 9.

“My understanding is the target is 50 percent plus one. It’s really up to the member-consumers if they want to support the JVA or not,” Lacson said.

Lacson, Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen Joseph Paduano and Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez have expressed their support for the JVA between Ceneco and Primelectric.

Earlier, Ceneco acting general manager, Atty. Arnel Lapore said that the JVA “is a needed shot in the arm for Ceneco.”

Lapore contended that Ceneco is losing P20 million a month and its income is not enough to cover the system loss or electricity lost to technical reasons and pilferage.

Several consumers who voted during the weekend plebiscite said they voted in favor of the JVA because of the frequent brownouts that damaged their appliances.