MABALACAT CITY – Amid reports of customer dissatisfaction last week, the new management of the Pampanga Electric Cooperative Inc. II (Pelco 2) vowed to improve its electric services and customer service system by December.
“The improvements will all be in place by December,” Dennis Anthony Uy, president and CEO of Comstech Integration Alliances, Inc. (Comstech) assured power consumers over the weekend.
The management of the electric cooperative was turned-over to Comstech in partnership with the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) last June as electric consumers anticipate much improvement in the cooperative which has gone on rehabilitation due to its P738-million debt.
“We (Comstech) have to focus first on the bigger problems of Pelco 2, such as paying off P738 million of its debt and firming up long-term power supply contract to ensure continued and reliable power supply. Otherwise, its entire service area would suffer massive brownouts, even blackouts, and higher power costs,” said Uy.
“We are also addressing many cases of illegal connections and pilferages that cause substantial losses to the cooperative,” he added. Uy also said improvements are underway in meter reading, billing, collections, provision of alternative payment centers and other customer service systems.
“As we speak, we are already working on putting up a dedicated call center number to receive and respond to inquiries, complaints and other customer service requirements of the more than 166,000 consumer- members of Pelco 2 before the end of the month,” Uy said in response to consumer complaints that they are at a loss on where to file their complaints.
“This should be available within a few days,” he added. Uy said better facilities and infrastructure are being acquired, including modern digital meters, to provide better services to Pelco 2 consumer- members. Uy also revealed of plans to put up the electric cooperative’s head office here where it serves 60 percent of its consumer-members.
Pelco 2 covers six municipalities – Guagua, Lubao, Porac, Sta. Rita, Sasmuan and Bacolor and this city. “It is only a matter of time and our consumer- members will see a much improved Pelco 2,” Uy told Punto! after presiding over a meeting with Pelco 2 department managers to address the consumer complaints.
Disconnection
Meanwhile, Pelco 2 General Manager Amador Guevarra explained that the one-month disconnection policy being implemented by Pelco 2 is an old rule of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) as per Article 32 of the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers covering all electric cooperatives and private distribution utilities in the country.
“The power supplied to the cooperative by its providers should also be paid after one month, thus we need to collect during the same period too,” he said. Pelco 2 handed over its management to Comstech last June via the Investment Management Contract (IMC) scheme developed by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) consistent with its authority under PD 269 and RA 10531 in order to rescue ailing electric cooperatives.
Guevarra remains the cooperative’s general manager. Before the management handover, Pelco 2 is deep in debt, owing more than P2 billion from its power suppliers, including the San Miguel Energy Corporation (SMEC), which already issued two disconnection notices to the cooperative.
According to Guevarra, the management handover through the IMC by Comstech has not altered the character of Pelco 2 as a cooperative, with its board of directors fully functioning as its policy making body. “With better management and improved revenues, our members can also expect better services,” he said.
