The National Electrification Administration is keen on retaining the interim board of directors of the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO), which Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said will remain as long as they are needed.
Almeda said that since the interim board he assigned as a task force to take charge of PALECO in January 2025, the cooperative has significantly improved in just one year. Among the improvements he noted were the lowering of electricity rates from ₱17.5 to ₱11.5 and the faster competitive selection process for an additional power supply agreement.
“So a great deal of the lowering of the rates is the consequence of the very swift conclusion of the CSP of which 55 MW was added to a long term contract profile of PALECO,” he said in a press conference on Monday.
“I am also happy to announce that in the 52 years existence of Paleco, it’s only in the year 2025 that Paleco reached and was categorized as a triple A electric cooperative under the criteria and key performance indicators as provided for by the NEA policy and RA 10531 (NEA Reform Act,” he added.
He likewise said PALECO attained a near perfect score and is now considered a green electric cooperative after increasing its collection efficiency from 92% in 2024 to 95%.
Almeda also stated that with the current composition of the interim board, he sees PALECO making a “big leap of improvement” in the coming years.
He added that he was right in choosing the members of the task force, whom he considers to have played a vital role in the improvements PALECO achieved.
He also thanked PALECO’s management for working in synergy with the interim board, which resulted in positive outcomes.
“I also would like to thank the provincial government, starting with Cong. Jose Alvarez, Cong. Gil Acosta and Cong Rose Salvame, and also Gov. Amy Alvarez for working hand in hand with NEA and PALECO for us to be able to deliver these positive accomplishments happening right now, and still will be about to happen for some more improvements,” he said.
The NEA chief further stated that while an electric cooperative is normally run by a board of directors, PALECO’s case stemmed from an abnormal situation where the cooperative was not in good standing when the interim board took over.
That is why, he said, it would be better for PALECO to remain in a status quo under the interim board until the projects lined up under the memorandum of agreement between the provincial government and the Maharlika Investment Corporation are completed and implemented to improve electric service quality in the province.
“MIC is putting billions of money in the whole island to improve the operations of PALECO and it would be wiser for PALECO to maintain the task force until such time that we are able to implement these flagship projects,” he said.
Moreover, he said Cong. Alvarez was already exasperated with PALECO’s situation, where the board of directors was too politicized internally and externally. This, he said, also led NEA to take over and remove the board.
He also revealed that NEA released ₱180 million in subsidies for rural electrification in the southern part of the province, but the board did not act on it.
“Doon ako medyo hindi talaga sang-ayon sa nangyayari dito sa Paleco noong araw, binigyan ng NEA being the government agency managing the subsidy funds in the tune of ₱180 million, isang taon, binalikan ko si GM, anong nangyari sa funds? Ayaw i-implement ng board,” Almeda noted.
“Could you imagine that? Libre na yung pagpapakuryente, hindi ma-implement dahil sa pulitika na nangyayari sa board. Tama ba yun? Hindi na pera ng PALECO, pera ng gobyerno yan, nakatengga sa PALECO for almost a year dahil lang sa hindi magkasundo ang board,” he elaborated.
He reiterated that it is within NEA’s prerogative and authority to place a task force in lieu of a board of directors.
“So tama na ang pulitika. Huwag nyo na ako tanungin kung kailan dapat ibalik ang board. Para sa akin hanggang maganda ang nangyayari sa Paleco, I will stand on my decision – the task force will stay. Especially now na ang mga proyekto, ang pinag-uusapan natin dito sa MIC runs to 4-5 billion. We need decision-makers of Paleco to be firm, objective, and the advocacy. And the only reason for their stay here is para mapabuti ang operations ng PALECO,” he said.
“Let’s not be too democratic. Alam ko ang hinihintay ng Palaweño is mag-election. Huwag muna tayo mag-election kung maganda naman ang tumatakbo. And it is within the powers of NEA to decide on that,” he added.
He further said that due to the improvements in PALECO, he was able to convince Alvarez to support the renewal of its franchise instead of pursuing the creation of three separate cooperatives, which he said would only add to NEA’s burden.
“So let’s maintain the status quo and let’s give it a chance. Once we are able to put into reality this plan of establishing the three super loops for north, PPC, and south, then these are three areas of operation,” he said.
