BAGUIO CITY – The National Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (NAGMEC) urged the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and its Board of Administrators to exercise prudence in addressing the complaints filed by consumer groups against electric cooperatives by asserting the legitimate and genuine representation and juridical personalities of the said groups before giving due course to their concerns.
Under an unnumbered NAGMEC Board Resolution, the association asserted that the NEA Board of Administrators is not the proper forum to question or impugn the legality, validity or proper property of NEA Memorandum No. 2018-027 and NASECORE if it so desire may seek any legal remedy or relief from the courts of appropriate jurisdictions.
As provided in Section 4-C of Republic Act (RA) 10531 or the National electrification Administration Decree, no injunction or temporary restraining order shall be issued against the implementation of any order, ruling or decision of the NEA, except by the Court of Appeals (CA).
The NAGMEC stated that despite the continuous dedicated service and operation of the 121 electric cooperatives to ensure continued, sustainable and reliable service and operation for their member-consumer-owners to help cushion the adverse impact of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019 pandemic, the electric cooperatives are still constantly being confronted, if not harassed, by many issues and concerns from consumer groups.
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The group disclosed that the most notable of such groups is the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms, Inc. (NASECORE) which has continuously charged cooperatives with issues that lack basis, if not based on mere conjectures and speculations.
Earlier, the NASECORE wrote the NEA on July 15, 2020 complaining about the agency’s approval of NEA Memorandum No. 2018-027 which authorized the deferment of district elections due to the 2018 barangay elections and the 2019 local elections, and guidelines in the candidacy of electric cooperative officials and employees, and asking the NEA Board of Administrators to recall and repeal the said memorandum.
NAGMEC argued that NASECORE, gauging from its alleged constituencies, does not and cannot stand as the authorized representative of the consumers notwithstanding its bare and ostentatious claim that it is composed of civil organizations, consumer associations and individual consumer advocates all over the country.
According to the organization, NASECORE is not an authorized representative of the electric cooperative consumers as it is not comprised of at least 10 percent membership of the total consumers of the electric cooperatives concerned and therefore cannot provide proper representative of the consumers.
Further, NASECORE is not authorized as a representative of the consumers as it does not exist or has no membership within the cooperative area and therefore has no proper and legitimate representation of the consumers and for other cooperatives, the group does not really exist.
Worst, NAGMEC stipulated that NASECORE is apparently wanting in locust standi to speak for and act in behalf of the consumers which make doubtful the propriety of its actions in bringing complaints before the NEA.
By Hent
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