By Lenie Lectura – January 30, 2025
from Business Mirror

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The Northern Davao Electric Cooperative Inc. (Nordeco) is calling for the scrapping of House Bill 11072, a measure that aims to expand the franchise areas of Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC) to its coverage areas.

“The bill in its original and its amended form is anti-people. To recall at the House of Representatives, the simulation of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) proved that there will be an increase in power bill in either original version or amended version. It is thus appropriate the bill should be disapproved,” Nordeco Acting General Manager Elvera S. Alngog said in a statement.

The electric cooperative is demanding for “an impartial deliberation” of the bill as it stressed that Senator Miguel Zubiri should “do fact checks before making statements at the Senate.” “We pity how this bill has gone from being vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to its amended form. Hopeless and baseless as it is, we don’t see any improvement in the proposed amendment to the bill which expands the targeted areas to the whole of Davao de Oro for the franchise takeover as it is in itself unconstitutional in its entirety,” said Alngog.

The bill seeks to expand the DLPC’s franchise area to include Maco in Davao de Oro, and Tagum City, the Island Garden City of Samal, and municipalities of Asuncion, Kapalong, New Corella, San Isidro, and Talaingod in Davao del Norte.

The amended bill provides for a two-year transition period of operations from Nordeco to DLPC.

“The areas of Nordeco are mostly vegetated as compared to Davao Light which are highly urbanized. In case it is unknown to our good Senator, among the reasons for brownouts are electricity lines disturbed by falling objects, vegetation.

But we deliver our best in responding quickly to reports of brownouts. Even in the farthest areas, such as Datu Davao in Laak, Boringot in Pantukan and Talaingod, we make it a point to respond quickly,” Engr. Benedicto D. Ongking, technical services department manager of Nordeco said.

Nordeco also categorically denied the Nordeco’s System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) that were presented during the deliberations.

“The figures cited—242.33 minutes for SAIDI and 4.99 for SAIFI (July 2024)—were a gross misrepresentation of actual performance metrics. The data cited actually covers the period January to June and not July alone. Such error undermined the integrity of public discourse and betrayed the commitment to truth and fairness that all stakeholders must uphold,” Alngog said.

Nordeco also clarified that the Distribution, Supply, and Metering Charge (DSM) of Nordeco is at P1.5372 per kwh compared to the P2.3552 per kwh of DLPC.

While the compared rates are seen higher for Nordeco, it said that not a single centavo goes to the coffer of the EC because the rate is composed of pass-through charges. The DSM goes directly to cover labor, line maintenance and other operation expenses of Nordeco.

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