THE Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative Inc. (Zamcelco) has reached another significant milestone after earning a Category A rating in the latest National Electrification Administration (NEA) Overall Performance Assessment for Electric Cooperatives, improving from its previous Category B classification.
The achievement reflects Zamcelco's continuing improvement and commitment to strengthening its overall performance over the past several years.
Under the NEA Overall EC Performance Assessment, the cooperative was initially classified as Category C in 2019 with a total score of 57.10 points.
The performance assessment for 2020 was deferred by NEA at the request of the National Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives (NAGMEC) due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Zamcelco remained under Category C, improving its score to 68.50 points, before advancing to Category B in 2022 with 75.50 points.
In 2023, NEA implemented a revised performance assessment framework through NEA Memorandum No. 2023-21, which modified the weighting of the evaluation parameters.
The Financial Parameters allocation was increased from 25 percent to 40 percent, while the Institutional Governance Parameters allocation was reduced from 30 percent to 20 percent.
As a result, Zamcelco's score was recalculated under the new methodology, resulting in 68.00 points (Category C).
Demonstrating its ability to adapt and improve under the new evaluation framework, Zamcelco regained Category B status in 2024 with 75.00 points and further elevated its performance in 2025 by achieving Category A with 85.00 points-its highest score and rating to date under the revised NEA assessment system.
A "Category A" rating signifies that an electric cooperative has demonstrated a high level of performance in key areas evaluated by the NEA, including financial management, institutional governance, technical operations, and consumer service.
Engineer Floyd Eric O. Bautista, Zamcelco acting general manager, said the achievement is the result of the collective dedication and hard work of the Board of Directors, management, employees, and stakeholders who have remained committed to implementing meaningful reforms and improving the cooperative's overall performance.
"Moving from Category B to Category A is a testament that our reforms and operational improvements are producing positive results. More importantly, this inspires us to continue raising our standards and delivering reliable, and customer-focused electric service to the people of Zamboanga City," Bautista said.
Meanwhile, Lawyer Rommel S. Agan, Zamcelco chief management officer, underscored that the achievement would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of the cooperative's Member-Consumers.
"This recognition belongs not only to Zamcelco but also to our Member-Consumers who continue to support the cooperative's programs and initiatives. Their cooperation in our campaign against electricity pilferage, participation in line rehabilitation and other system improvement projects, and their trust in the cooperative have greatly contributed to this achievement. This Category A rating inspires us to further strengthen our partnership with our consumers as we continue building a more resilient and responsive electric cooperative," Agan said.
With this achievement, Zamcelco extends its gratitude to its Member-Consumers, employees, Board of Directors, stakeholders, and Crown Investment Holdings Inc. for their continued support and contribution to the cooperative's improved performance.
The cooperative recognizes the valuable role of its management partner in helping implement reforms and improvements that led to this milestone.
Zamcelco called on its member-consumers to continue supporting and working with the cooperative as it strives to further improve its performance, and provide reliable and quality electric service to the people of Zamboanga City. (PR)