A COMPREHENSIVE Dictionary defines extortion as an abuse of authority, while exploitation connotes deviating action to take advantage. These two distorting terms are inherent tendencies in the profit-oriented business and industries. An apology, if this violent critic is wrong, but it is regrettable to experience anxiety extortion and miserable exploitation in the electric industry, that was established and subsidized as a "public utility cooperative imbued with public interest".
The powerful Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) is the most progressive Cooperative, but after gaining its prestige as a model cooperative, it gradually converted into Benguet Electric Corporation (BENECOR), exemplified from the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR). Despite of its Corporate Management, it still uses the original identity as Electric Cooperative.
Moreover, the BENECO refused its legal registration to the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). Hence, the emergence of tolerable abuse of authority, that further deviated from the Cooperative laws, principles, policies and practices. The refusal from lawful registration manifested autonomous power and liberalized freedom with prerogative option to mismanage a cooperative into a corporation, at the detriment of consumer-members.
Unfortunately, the EPIRA Law is the usual citation of irrevocable reasons to Justify discrepancies by the BENECOR Management. The patronizing end-users and Consumer-members were confused with the cited references on ERB, NEA and EPIRA. Laws, that seemed to be misinterpreted as the license to extort and permit to exploit the indigenous tribes, against their ancestral domain resources.
It is however consoling, to acknowledge the research findings of the Energy Regulation Commission (ERG), who discovered over-charges and exorbitant rate collections. The consumer-members are very grateful with the ERC Authorities, for the Order to Refund recovered over-collections, that may likewise include compliance to the unimplemented reduction and discount rates in the Electric Bill.
Hopefully, the present BENECOR Management should be obligated with the regular COA Examiners, as well as be subjected to the Congressional Inquiry, for the desired reform, transformation and restoration to the prestigious identity as a genuine Cooperative System. Consequently, the agonizing sentiments on the imposed accountability on lost assets and incurred liabilities, chargeable against the innocent members, without sharing generated profits, that were monopolized by the management through unlimited emolument, excessive honoraria, exorbitant compensation and extravagant allowances.