ARMM seeks probe on power coops

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Officials have asked the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to investigate what they consider an  anomalous scheme by Lanao del Sur’s power utility cooperative of supplying electricity to thousands of local consumers without calibration meters.

The unpaid account of the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Lasureco) with the National Power Corporation, from where it gets power to sell to residents of more than 40 towns in Lanao del Sur and in Marawi City, have also risen to P7 billion in recent years.

Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. and Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao both urged the NEA and the Department of Energy to look into the issue during Monday’s meeting here of the Regional Economic Development and Planning Board (REDPB).

Adiong said the power woes in the province worsened after the May 13 elections when Lasureco officials cut the supply of power to towns whose residents did not vote for their relatives that ran for elective positions in the province.

An emotional Adiong told members of the inter-agency REDPB that Lasureco has been serving more than 40 Lanao del Sur towns without any calibration system to determine the volume of the daily electricity consumption of thousands of households benefiting from such irregular power supply arrangement.

Adiong said Lasureco only collects between P300,000 and  P400,000 from the local government unit of each town in exchange for an unlimited supply of electricity.

The supply contracts are not even covered by  proper documentation and transaction receipts.

Adiong said Lasureco only have meters in the houses of consumers in the towns of Saguiran and Balindong, and in Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur.

He said the province has also been experiencing four to five power interruptions each day for several months now despite the proximity of Lanao del Sur to several hydro-electric plants in Lake Lanao.

The downstream gush of the highland Lake Lanao to the seacoasts of Lanao del Norte and Iligan City propels Napocor's gigantic turbines generating electricity for the Mindanao power grid.

The hydro-electric plants  in Lanao del Sur supplies about three-fourths of Mindanao’s daily power requirements.

Hataman said he will have the operation of Lasureco evaluated by the ARMM’s Cooperatives Development Authority.

Members of the REDPB, which is ARMM’s highest economic planning board comprised of representatives from LGUs, the 24-seat Regional Legislative Assembly, and regional line agencies, agreed to hold a “power summit” soon to discuss possible solutions to the problem.

The power woes besetting  Lanao del Sur have also affected Maguindanao province, whose power utility, the Maguindanao Electric Cooperative (Magelco), also depends on the hydro-electric plants propelled by Lake Lanao.

Maguindanao is also a component area of the autonomous region.

Magelco also has an unpaid P700 million account with the Napocor, according to cooperative officials.

Hataman said the power utilities in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi also owe the Napocor about P4 billion worth of unpaid electricity.

“This is something we need to address with the help of the NEA and the DOE,” Hataman said.

Functions and powers of the NEA and DOE are not among those the national government had devolved to ARMM as provided for by the region’s charter, Republic Act 9050.

Hataman's office does not have ministerial control of cooperative power utilities operating in the autonomous region either.

"Just the same, we have to fuse ranks and look into these concerns, which can stifle the socio-economic growth of ARMM," Hataman said.