DAVAO del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib calls Northern Davao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Nordeco) “a fake cooperative”, pointing out that it is not doing assemblies with its members in decision-making to sustain and maintain power supply in Davao del Norte.
The irate Gov. Jubahib made the claim as he questioned National Electrification Association (NEA) lawyer Omar Mayo in “defending Nordeco’s mishaps" in sustaining power supply in Davao del Norte during a joint Senate Committee hearing with the Committee on Energy, Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship on July 12, 2023.
NEA is mandated under Republic Act 6038 to strengthen electric cooperatives, “by ensuring that they become more efficient, reliable and globally competitive”.
“Nakikinabang ba kayo sa kooperatiba na ito? Fake cooperative ito, hindi ito cooperative ng bayan (Are you benefiting from this cooperative? This is a fake cooperative, this is not for the people),” Jubahib asked Mayo during the hearing.
“Ewan ko ba dito sa NEA bakit lagi nilang dinidepensahan itong cooperative na hindi naman nagse-serve ng maayos sa ating mga constituents... sa’n ba talaga kayo... para sa tao o para sa mga nakikinabang ng mga tao (I don't know why NEA always defend this cooperative which does not serve our constituents properly... Where do you really stand... for the people or for those benefiting from the people)?” he added.
Jubahib said the recurring brownouts in Davao del Norte had them call for a strike against Nordeco, pointing out the low supply of electricity provided by the cooperative.
He also said that even the local government unit of the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos), which is under Davao del Norte, is already subsidizing generator sets for their people just to address the power supply outages on the island.
Jubahib also points out Nordeco’s alleged P3.9 billion worth of liabilities, and debts worth more than P1 billion to provide submarine cables being charged to its consumers — yet there have been no improvements on the power supply.
The governor also emphasizes the “unnecessary” power bill deposits which are charged on businesses using Nordeco power supply, which are collectively around P3 billion, and asked where these funds are now.
Jubahib also said if there are any assemblies, Nordeco has not presented any income status or financial status of the cooperative during these events. He also said the cooperative had not given dividends to their members.
He also questioned why the assemblies are being held in Montevista, which is not a part of Davao del Norte.
In response, Mayo said scheduled assemblies of Nordeco have been well-disseminated through radio advertisements and public notices.
He also denied they are paid to defend Nordeco.
“Kaya kong tumingin mata sa mata na sa akin walang involved na pera sa pagtatanggol dahil tinutulungan na po naming makaahon, unti-unti lang dahil alam niyo naman po Governor na mula nung nagkaroon ng dalawang faction diyan sa Nordeco na nangongolekta hanggang ngayon ‘di pa nagkakaroon ng normalcy diyan,” Mayo said.
[“I can look eye to eye, meaning that there is no money involved in defending (Nordeco) because we are already helping them to recover slowly, because you know Governor that since there were two factions of Nordeco collecting, until now normalcy has not been achieved,”]
Mayo also denied Jubahib’s allegations, saying there have been assemblies conducted in Nordeco.
He also said that Montevista houses the principal address of Nordeco, thus conventions and assemblies are being held there.
The lawyer also recalled that Davao de Oro representative Ruwel Peter Gonzaga visited the assembly in Montevista.
“Doon sa allegation na pekeng kooperatiba ito... ang kooperatibang ito ay hango sa PD (Presidential Decree) 269, mismong pamahalaan ang nag-establish ng mga kooperatibang ito,” Mayo said.
Meanwhile, Nordeco refutes Jubahib’s statements, saying they had already addressed power issues in Davao del Norte, especially in the Island Garden City of Samal.
“Wala na pong rotational brownout sa Samal... only isolated cases po... yung mga scheduled interruptions po for line maintenance, replacement of poles,” Nordeco’s consumer accounts department manager Marilou Impuesto said during the hearing.
Notably, they had also released a statement regarding Jubahib’s comments on the recurring power outages in Davao del Norte.
“May the good Governor find in his heart and soul to acknowledge the milestones that Nordeco has achieved and contributed to the electrification of Davao del Norte, which fuels the development of this beautiful province,” Nordeco posted on their official Facebook page. (ICE)