City supports bill granting legislative franchise to Beneco

Mayor Benjamin Magalong signed city council resolution no. 102, series of 2023, strongly supporting the passage of House Bill No. 6145 entitled, “An Act Granting a Legislative Franchise to Benguet Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Beneco) to construct, install, establish, operate and maintain a generation and distribution system for the conveyance of electric power to the end users in all municipalities of the Province of Benguet and Baguio City”.

The House Bill was filed by Baguio City Rep. Marquez Go before Congress on November 15, 2022 for the renewal of the 50 year franchise of Beneco to operate as an electric distribution utility which was granted on March 20 1978 and will end on March 20, 2028.

The approved measure stated that the generation cost of Beneco over the years has been acknowledged as the cheapest for on-grid electric cooperatives and that it has continuously adopted automation technologies to improve reliability and efficiency to further improve its services.

It disclosed that Beneco is included in the list of electric cooperatives with 90 to 100 percent level of energization as shown in the 2019 National Electrification Administration (NEA) performance assessment and has been a consistent recipient of various awards, citations and commendations from NEA and other organizations.

In recognition of Beneco’s efficiency in providing stable, safe and affordable power to its consumers, Go said that granting a legislative franchise to Beneco “will ensure the continuous supply and delivery of affordable, efficient and safe electric power to the people of Baguio City and Province of Benguet.” – Gaby B. Keith