NEPC ensures uninterrupted power service to Negros residents

The Negros Electric and Power Corporation or Primelectric vowed to provide reliable and uninterrupted electric service after a House panel granted the firm a franchise.

The NEPC said the franchise would enable the firm to establish and maintain a power distribution system in key cities such as Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, and Bago, as well as in the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto, which are all located in the province of Negros Occidental.

Primelectric Holdings Inc. President Roel Castro said that the firm would submit and comply with what is being directed to them within the week.

Castro also stressed the potential advantages for residents if the franchise is granted. He highlighted the issues currently faced by CENECO consumers as well as the urgent need for improved electric services in the region.

“The electric service is not really that good; they have frequent brownouts, and when I say 'frequent,' it's normal to say that it's daily. It takes them months to comply when you apply for a new connection,'' Castro said in a press release. 

"There’s a lot of complaints, and over and above that, their system loss is already beyond the cap. And when the system's loss is above the cap, it means that it is being passed on to the bottomline consumers, and CENECO is already losing P20 to P30 million a month,” Castro explained.

During the hearing, PBA party-list Representative Margarita Nograles moved for the approval in principle of the bill, subject to style and subject to the submission of documents that are being asked from the Energy Regulatory Commission, National Electrification Administration, and Securities and Exchange Commission.

To recall, CENECO has entered into a joint venture agreement with the NEPC to ensure quality service to customers. 

Castro expressed confidence in NEPC’s ability to bring significant enhancements to Bacolod and Central Negros, drawing from their successful experience in Iloilo.

"With all confidence, I am saying that because we were able to do that in Iloilo. In the last three years, we were able to bring down systems loss to only 5%. We also curtailed the duration of interruptions by over 90%. In terms of rates, our rate is the lowest within the region,'' he said. 

''The number of customers increased from 62,000 when we started, and now it's 93,000 over three years. I would say that the approach to rehabilitate and make a turnaround is something we have done in Iloilo, and now we aim to do the same in Negros," Castro said.  —VAL, GMA Integrated News