LOCAL consumer group Power Watch Negros Advocates has issued a manifesto calling on power cooperatives in the province to wake up by excelling in their operations and being true to its social responsibilities.
Its secretary-general Wennie Sancho said they are compelled to issue the manifesto in view of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic that bests the nation, resulting in massive unemployment due to the large-scale closures of business establishments.
Sancho, also a labor leader, said the country is now on the stage of economic recession which could result in economic depression if our economy will collapse.
Surely, he said, all of these developments had affected the capacity of the electric consumers to pay their piled electric bills due to the diminution of their purchasing power since most business establishments are operating on a limited capacity.
Their problem was compounded by the inconvenience of power outages and the high cost of electricity rates paid by the consumers. This problematic situation needs an immediate solution by the management of electric cooperatives, Sancho said.
"The manifesto is for all electric cooperatives to wake up, otherwise, mega-corporations and private groups would take over if they continue to burden the people with their poor and dismal services," he said, adding that "if they don't want privatization, which we likewise oppose, they should listen to the voice of the consumers."
The Power Watch Negros Advocates believe that, in this trying and difficult times, the intervention of the people's organization is necessary to save the consumers from the exorbitant payment of their monthly electric bills.
Its official said the task is to address not merely the symptoms but the roots of the power crisis. But no concrete actions were taken by the electric cooperatives concerned.
Sancho said the cooperative remains saddled with all the financial and administrative problems, let alone its uncaring attitude and the continued violations of the consumer's rights.
"We deplore its continued strange hold upon the member-consumers," he said.
"We deplore the failure if not the downright refusal of an electric cooperative to address the issue of excessive, unutilized power supply or over contracting," he added.
The consumer group also deplored the electric cooperatives' alleged failure to address the problems of brownouts and diminishing power supply that continue to hound the consumers for a long time.
The manifesto stated that member-consumers of electric cooperatives have the freedom to pass moral judgment on matters directly involving the welfare or the common good of the people particularly the distribution and services of power supply.
"We cannot be apathetic in the face of attempts by electric cooperatives to justify their inefficiencies by blaming the scarcity of power supply," it said.
"As the many voices had already pointed out, it is necessary that electric cooperatives should be managed by people who are outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the member-consumers, particularly the poor and the marginalized," it added.
As it strongly opposes privatization and monopoly of the power industry, the Power Watch Negros reiterated that electric cooperatives should excel in their services and operation to serve the people.
"We have the right to deplore the failures resulting in mismanagement and corruption because we are the collective owners of the cooperative," its secretary-general added.
