NEA assigns temporary GM to help stabilize power supply in Palawan
By Lenie Lectura – December 25, 2018
from Business Mirror
THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) has designated a temporary general manager to beleaguered Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco) to help solve the province’s worsening power-supply problem.
NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong issued an office order on December 10 designating Nelson Lalas as project supervisor/acting general manager (PS/AGM) of Paleco, effective immediately.
“In the exigency of the service and pursuant to Sections 4 (e) and (j) of Presidential Decree 269 as amended by Section 5 of Republic Act 10531, Engineer Lalas is hereby designated as Project Supervisor/Acting General Manager of Palawan Electric Cooperative effective immediately,” the NEA office order stated.
The designation of Lalas, however, will cease upon the appointment of a regular general manager, which is subject to confirmation by the NEA.
Lalas is tasked to manage the day-to-day operations of Paleco to ensure the efficient delivery of electric service to the member-consumer-owners.
The NEA intervention comes a month after President Duterte issued a stern warning to local officials to solve the energy issues in Palawan. Duterte gave Paleco until the end of the year to address the frequent brownouts or he would get a new electricity provider for Palawan if the problem persists.
Paleco, which has the second-largest franchise area in the country, provides power to 18 municipalities and Puerto Princesa City, serving a total of 135,284 consumers as of April 2018.
Each Paleco consumer experienced an average of 126 power interruptions in 2017, which he said was beyond the NEA standard of 25 interruptions per consumer per year. This resulted in an average of 16 hours of power interruption every month or a total of 187 hours two years ago.
Based on the NEA standard, the acceptable frequency of power interruption is 45 hours per consumer per year. “Despite its status as an electric cooperative registered with the Cooperative Development Authority, the NEA will not stand idly by. We will exercise the agency’s inherent jurisdiction over Paleco as it has the technical capability to turn things around in Palawan and for Palawan member-consumer-owners,” Masongsong said.
The NEA has the supervisory powers over 121 ECs nationwide as mandated under RA 10531, otherwise known as the “National Electrification Administration Reform Act of 2013.”
