It’s not just a meeting, it’s productive planning to the much betterment of the cooperative-BENECO Board of Directors on the meeting causing them to be suspended

BAGUIO CITY–The members of the Board of Directors (BOD) of the Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) recall how their third regular meeting turned out productive as development projects and other plans were carefully planned and most of them were implemented much to the convenience of the member-consumer-owners (MCOs).

Atty. Esteban Aclopen Somngi, Beneco’s BOD President recalls that the said 3rd regular meeting was mainly focused on the renewable energy projects that will ensure the reliable, continuous power sources of the electric cooperative and deliverance of affordable cost of electricity to the people, especially the MCOs. “Actually, that meeting was approved by the Annual General Membership Assembly ( AGMA) in 2017,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) insists that the BOD’s third regular meeting is marred with irregularities. The agency did a “moto propio” investigation and came out with a decision suspending Somngi,  BOD members Jonathan C. Obar, Robert Valentin, Josephine B. Tuling, Peter B. Busaing, Jeffred S. Acop, Mike W. Maspil, Rocky M. Aliping, Enrique Moresto, Luke Gomeyac, James Aclopen,  Beneco Internal Services Department Manager Atty. Delmar O. Cariño and Beneco Internal Audit Department Manager Brenda B. Carling. They filed a motion for reconsideration contesting the decision.

One of the arguments the BODs are pushing is the benefits and incentives being questioned by the NEA. They stated that they were not the ones who demanded or insisted that they will get such but the provision of  said benefits and incentives is already there before they assumed as BODs

Somngi said that the conduct of the meeting is not because they just want to do it. He said that they addressed so many issues concerning the operation and services of the electric cooperative. And one of the matters they tackled is the possible energy sources that Beneco can have. He said that Beneco should not be confined to mere power distribution but should explore further power generation.

The BODs Somngi, Obar, Valentin, Tuling, Busaing, Acop, and Maspil see the 3rd regular meeting as productive as they were able to drew feasible and achievable plans. Somngi said that Beneco has already the 3 Megawatts (MW) Man-asok MiniHydro Electric Power Plant in Buguias, Benguet which is already at its 98% completion. Another is the 1 MW solar energy project at Tabaan Sur, Tuba, Benguet which was supposed to be already implemented but was temporarily halted because of the pandemic and the present problem of the electric cooperative wherein the NEA is insisting on a new General Manager which was not even a member of Beneco. Somngi said the solar energy project is a grant from the Europian Union (EU) wherein he even bared that Beneco is one of the only five cooperatives to be given such for its projects.

Other renewable projects are lined-up in Kabayan, Benguet but unfortunately were contested in the Courts with the former energy company.

Somngi said that if all of the projects especially the mini hydroelectric plants will run, the MCOs of Beneco and the people of Baguio and Benguet will see better and more affordable electric services. He said this will only show how Beneco rose to be consistently one of the outstanding electric cooperatives if not the best in the country.  ###