Akelco GM seeks NEA ‘fair deal’

The general manager of Aklan Electric Cooperative in Kalibo and Boracay called for comprehensive and strategy-based policies of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) in solving electric coop problems and for consistency and due process in any takeover activities.

Akelco general manager Leovigildo Mationg said in a press statement that the NEA cannot just be whimsical and arbitrary in taking over the management of problematic electric coops as most of the problems that are weighing down electric coops operations are systematic and reflect NEA’s own failures in providing broad solutions.

"In Akelco’s case it is even worse, NEA Administrator Francisco Silva did not even bother to suspend me formally much less give specific basis for my removal," Mationg said.

Akelco has been forcibly taken over by NEA supposedly for gross mismanagement. Yet Akelco has been under NEA supervision in eight of the last 10 years.

"Their project supervisors have approved all transactions and management decisions. Now they are blaming me?" he protested.

He claimed that the problems at Akelco are symptomatic of problems of electric cooperatives in general and only aggravated by the unique difficulties in the Akelco service area.

"At least 3 percent of our systems loss is due to the delay in upgrading the long Nabas-to-Caticlan line from 13.8 to 69KV and building a new substation in Caticlan. Akelco has been absorbing about P10 million a year in losses as a result of this one grid problem," he said.

He added that the PPA charges of Napocor almost doubled Akelco’s power cost and therefore doubled the working capital requirements of coops.

"Many electric coops owe Napocor more money than Akelco. It is not fair that Fr. Silva is targeting Akelco. What we need is a policy and strategy to solve this problem," Mationg said.