NEA decision to oust Beneco board, GM hailed

The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (Philreca) has lauded the National Electrification Administration’s (NEA) bold initiatives to remove the board of directors of the Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) and to recall the probational appointment of lawyer Ana Maria Paz Rafael as general manager (GM) of Beneco. Philreca, which has evolved into a party list group, said the moves of NEA administrator Mariano Antonio Almeda were in the right direction to restore the damaged integrity and credibility of the company. “The service of energizing and distributing power to the public within its franchise area carried out by electric cooperatives should not be afflicted with self-interest nor politicized,” Philreca party list Rep. Presley De Jesus said in a statement. In a resolution issued earlier this week, the NEA ordered the removal of Beneco’s directors due to alleged irregularities in the management of the power distributor. The NEA also noted that Beneco’s overall performance had regressed since Rafael assumed as general manager.