Dingras, Ilocos Norte—The general manager of the embattled Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) has said that they can not react on the refund issue until the official order coming from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) had been handed to them.

“Until we receive the alleged rebate order coming from the Energy Regulatory Commission on overcharging of electricity [rates], the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative has nothing to react on the allegations that are being brought out,” INEC GM Romillas C. Pascual said in an interview with The Ilocos Times.

Pascual also said that since 1991, INEC never applied for its own power rate increase as he reiterated that the unbundling of rates as mandated by the EPIRA Law but INEC’s implementation was simultaneous with the 52.66 percent rate increase by the Generation Company (Genco).

The unbundling of power rates which was implemented in November 2004, Pascual stressed, was not an increase asked for by INEC, as he added, “It was the ERC who computed INEC’s unbundled rate.”

Going back to the refund issue, Pascual emphasized that INEC officials could not react on the issue until the said ERC order becomes official.

“We have been religiously submitting our monthly rate computations with the Energy Regulatory Board since 1996 up to 2001, and likewise to the Energy Regulatory Commission since 2001 up to the present. Ket no addan to man order nga aggapu’t ERC maipanggep iti daytoy rum-rumwar nga issue, that will be the time we make our actions (Only when there is an order from ERC about the refund issue would INEC officials act on it), Pascual stressed.

Though the ERC probe results had been highly publicized, the official results had not yet been released. The said ERC results were only announced by Ilocos Norte Governor Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) member Mariano V. Marcos II and Rep. Imee R. Marcos (2nd district, Ilocos Norte) after their consultation with ERC Chairman Rodolfo Albano.

With the absence of the official result of the ERC probe, INEC officials deem the overcharge issue as a non-issue until official documents pertaining to their overcharging of their member-consumers are handed down to them.

According to the Marcoses, the ERC found INEC to have overcharged its member-consumers by P123 million since 1996 until November 2004 in its power purchase adjustment computations.

The Marcoses also said that the ERC is poised to hand down a refund order for INEC. Observers however contend that the Marcoses should have started with the power rate adjustments first since INEC still charges the same rates.

The ERC probe stemmed from the SP resolution which urged the said commission to conduct an investigation of the local power cooperative after several SP members, led by Marcos II, were unconvinced of the explanations presented by INEC officials on their “extraordinarily high power rates.” Ilocos Norte power rates are reputably higher than those of Metro Manila, according to the governor.

During the said public hearing, Marcos II said INEC officials contradicted one another and the documents they were presenting resulting in more confusions rather than solving the issue. This prompted the provincial legislators to pass a resolution asking ERC’s intervention.

In view of these allegations, Pascual said INEC records are open and all of their dealing had been transparent. He also said that they are open to further investigations.

“The INEC [records] had been open to the public since then whatever [the] complaints are and we entertain them with all [the] best we could,” Pascual explained.

Veering away from the contentious issues presently hounding the controversial cooperative, Pascual announced that the entire province of Ilocos Norte is now fully electrified despite the “limited resources” of INEC.

Pascual added that even the most far-flung barangays and sitios are now being supplied with electricity, as against other provinces in the country wherein full electrification is still a goal.

“Ket daytoy iti mangipanek-nek iti inkam pana-ngidanon iti napintas a serbisyo kadagiti kakabsat diuray iti kakasel-selan a suli iti probinsya tayo (And this only proves the quality service we are rendering our provincemates even if they are in the most remote places in the province),” Pascual quipped.

In addition to the full electrification of the province, Pascual also announced that INEC is also implementing the Magna Carta provision for residential electricity consumers.

The provision calls for distribution utilities or electric cooperatives to provide free meter, service drops and other tapping accessories not exceeding 30 meters.

INEC’s full implementation of this provision has already benefited countless residential consumers in the province.

Dominic B. dela Cruz