THE Benguet Electric Cooperative marked its 37th year with three annual membership assemblies coming on the heels of its unprecedented eight awards during the recent Lumen Awards at the national conference of electric cooperatives held April 28 in Tagum City.
The third assembly was held Saturday, June 17, at the Baguio City National High School after similar consultations last June 2 at St. Paul’s Academy in Sayangan, Atok, Benguet and on June 10 at the municipal gym in Sablan town.
With its seven awards, the electric cooperative shook off years of instability marked by financial and managerial problems that saw the fast turnover of managers appointed by the National Irrigation Administration during its formative years.
The coop, led by general manager Gerry Verzosa and president Rocky Aliping copped the top awards for the “Single Digit System Loss of the Year,” lowest power rate (on grid), best in collection performance, model headquarters facilities, Triple A category award, citations for its participation in “Task Force Kapatid” for victims of Typhoon Lawin and Typhoon Niña, and exemplary management award for the general manager.
The Beneco posted an average system loss of 9.08 percent, which is translated to savings amounting to millions of pesos annually, reflective of the quality of maintenance work on its lines that effectively whittled down electricity loss normally encountered by other coops.
The coop achieved a 100 percent collection efficiency and the lowest power rate (on grid) of P7.1292 despite its having to operate in a mountainous region that necessitates more expense than those in the flat lowlands.
The Beneco copped the award for model headquarters for its new central office along South Drive here.