NORECO 2 assures public: China supplier will deliver concrete poles

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines  – The China supplier contracted to deliver millions of pesos worth of concrete poles will make true of its promise by the third quarter of this year, according to acting general manager Dionefred Macahig of the Negros Oriental Electric 2 Cooperative (NORECO 2).

Macahig said that SUMAI, the company based in mainland China that had landed the contract to supply 5,000 concrete poles to NORECO 2, is expected deliver the remaining 4,774 poles by the first week of August this year, more than 12 months since the first batch of 226 poles were delivered on July 9 last year.

He said the transaction and later the contract with the Chinese supplier via a commodity loan, was sealed during the previous NORECO 2 administration then headed by now retired general manager Ephraim Taclob.

The delay in the delivery of the concrete poles, which Macahig estimated to total P50,000, had stirred public interest after it was noted that while a large chunk of the contract amount was already paid off, only an insignificant number of the items were delivered.

The NORECO 2 had already paid about P40,000, or about 80 percent of the contract price, to the Chinese supplier for the 5,000 concrete poles, Macahig disclosed.

He clarified that what had caused the delay in the delivery of the poles was that NORECO 2’s certificate of good standing—required by the Bureau of Customs—had expired last May. It was only in June 25 that NORECO 2 received its renewal of the certificate, he said.

SUMAI has assured that its sub-contractor, China-based Yander Industry Group, is expected to deliver its first batch of 4,428 poles by August, direct to the port of the Dumaguete for offloading. The last batch of 346 concrete poles will follow on perhaps another ship, said Macahig.

Macahig expressed relief that once all documents and other requirements have been processed, the next shipment of the concrete poles from China will be delivered direct to Dumaguete instead of via the Cebu port.

Macahig confirmed that last year’s delivery of the 226 poles were coursed through the Cebu International Port, which caused NORECO 2 to pay at least an additional P500,000 hauling fee to transport the poles to Dumaguete.

Areas where these concrete poles are to be erected have all been identified, and these are mostly in Dumaguete City, Macahig added.  (FREEMAN)