BAGUIO CITY – Two aspirants as members of the Board of Directors of the Benguet electric Cooperative (BENECO) are automatically guaranteed their desired seats in the electric cooperative’s policy-making body following their being unopposed in the district elections.
The unopposed candidates for members of the BENECO board are Josephine Aclopen-Aclayan of District 2 covering barangays Sto. Tomas School Area up to Kias in Baguio City and Dr. Abello Fernando of District 8 covering the towns of Itogon, Bokod and Kabayan.
Aside from barangays Sto. Tomas School Are and Kias, the other barangays that are included in the coverage of District 2 are BGH Compound, Phil-Am, Imelda Marcos, Bakakeng Central, Bakakeng Norte/Sur, SLU-SVP Housing, Balsigan, San Vicente, Poliwes, Camp 7, Sto. Tomas Proper, Dontogan, Loakan Liwanag, Loakan Proper and Fort del Pilar
Aclayan, 56, is a resident of Tetep-an Village, Bakakeng Norte. She is a graduate of the course Bachler of Science in Education at the University of Baguio (UB),
On the other hand, Fernando, 59, is a resident of Daclan, Bokod, Benguet. He is a professor at the Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC), a licensed real estate broker, research graduate of Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Economics at the Catholic-run Saint Louis University (SLU), Master in Public Administration at the CCDC, graduate of Doctor of Philosophy Major in rural Development and Minor in Educational Management at the State-run Benguet State University (BSU) and book author and published the book on Principles of Economics with Taxation and Agrarian Reform 2014 edition.
Earlier, the interim BENECO board decided to conduct the district elections to allow the member-consumer-owners (MCOs) to select their respective district representatives scheduled on April 20, 2024.
However, the district elections was divided into two sets where Districts 2,5 and 6 in Baguio City and Districts 7 – La Trinidad, 8 – Itogon, Kabayan and Bokod and 10 – Atok, Tublay, Kapangan and Kibungan will be conducting their elections on April 20, 2024 while Districts 1,3 and 5 in Baguio City and Districts 9 – Tuba and Sablan and 11 – Bakun, Mankayan and Buguias will be holding their district elections by September.
For District 6 of Baguio City which covers barangays North Sanitary Camp, South Sanitary Camp, Brookside, Ambiong, Imelda Village, Manuel Roxas, Lopez Jaena, Aurora Hill proper, West Modernsite, East Modernsite, North Central Aurora Hill, South Central Aurora Hill, San Antonio Village, Honeymoon-Holy \Ghost, Holy Ghost Proper, Session Road-Gov. Pack, Malcolm Square, Harrison-Carantes, Lower Gen. Luna, Kabayanihan and Trancoville, there was no candidate that was qualified to run for district elections, thus, the same will be rescheduled for September.
The conduct of the district elections is governed by BENECO’s amended constitution and by-laws as approved by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) pursuant to the prescribed guidelines that had been crafted for the said purpose. By Dexter A. See