CLARK FREEPORT – A transition team is now working for a smooth transition of the management of the Pampanga Electric Cooperative II (Pelco II) to ComsTech and its technical partner, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), within the month.
Formal takeover of Pelco II set COMSTECH-MERALCO According to Rene Acuña, head of Meralco’s network asset management who is also in charge of distribution projects outside the traditional Meralco franchise, their formal operations will start before the end of the month.
“We intend to start formal operations within the month but we already have a team there that is working on the transition. We have a transition team and we have a separate team working on power supply of Pelco II so that when we come in, we make sure we have enough power,” Acuna said.
Meralco Vice President Nestor Sarmiento heads the transition team, Acuna said during an interview at the sidelines of the round table discussion of Pampanga business opportunities at the Holiday Inn here last Monday.
“We expect that we would have a lot of pending applications that need to be addressed. We need a lot of capex to be put in to serve those requirements and to upgrade the lines to serve the public better,” he said.
Acuna explained that ComsTech did not acquire Pelco II. “It’s an investment management contract. Pelco II will continue to be an electric cooperative,” he said. An investment management contract means “the investor (Coms- Tech) puts in money and at the same time manages the affairs of Pelco II to make it consistent with the requirements of business and people in the area,” he added.
Acuna said Meralco will be coming in as a technical partner of ComsTech which is the investor who will be running Pelco II. “I work with (Coms- Tech CEO) Dennis Uy because we have a lot of success stories working on these areas outside of Manila and that’s what we try to replicate here in Pampanga.
We see the potential of Pampanga for growth and therefore we intend to provide the needed factor for that development which is power,” Acuna said. He said Meralco will come in as a group with toll ways, water and even hospitals. The main infrastructure requirements of Pampanga or the gaps would be addressed by the group if allowed by the province, he assured.
For the customer side, one of the main priorities is rehabilitating customer interface facilities like business centers so that immediately, Pelco II customers would be able to see the changes, Acuna said. Branch offices will be customer friendly as much as possible, he added.
The Meralco official said the main headquarters of Pelco II in Guagua town is now undergoing rehabilitation works.
“It’s the same location, but probably we have to rehab the whole area. They are already rehabilitating it from the inside, making changes. But the big changes will have to come within the year as soon as we set foot formally inside,” Acuna said.
As for other branches: “We might have to look at all their offices and see which ones we need to retain and those that we need to move out of,” he added. But the main priority would be the assets that would immediately affect customers like the performance of the system.
These would be sub-stations, connections and meter serving of big customers. “Yung importante makapasok kaagad yung gustong mag invest at magkaroon ng magandang power (What is important is for investors to come in promptly and to have better power),” he said.
Acuna also said ComsTech will tap Meralco subsidiaries like the Bayad Center “to provide utility services and assist us in making Pelco II a success story.”
