Consumer group demands P151M refund from Ceneco

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Power Watch-Negros, a consumer group in this city, had sought for a refund of the P151 million from the Central Negros Electric Cooperative.

PWN secretary-general Wennie Sancho said Ceneco must return to the consumers its earnings drawn from the alleged overpricing of generation charges.

The group cited the petition of Ceneco general manager Suplicio Lagarde Jr., filed before the Energy Regulation Commission, about the firm’s overpricing of charges to its consumers in connection with its contract with Filinvest Development Utilities Inc., from January to July this year.

Lagarde had admitted Ceneco was charging an average generation rate of P7.6538per kilowatt hour, but the price stipulated in its provisional authority with the ERC was only P4.8766 per kWh, or an overcharge of P2.7772 per kWh.

Sancho said PWN on Thursday launched a refund movement at a resort hotel here and, as a manifestation of contempt, the group also held a ceremonial tearing off of the power sales contract between Ceneco and the Kepco SPC Power Corp. to call for its nullification. —Marchel P. Espina (FREEMAN)