NEA told: Run co-op to ease Abra power woe

BAGUIO CITY—Abra’s consumers have urged their electric cooperative to relinquish its membership with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and submit once again to the supervision of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to solve the province’s power crisis.

At least 3,000 people petitioned NEA to take back the Abra Electric Cooperative (Abreco), saying the agency is better equipped to solve a management problem that led to the pullout of Abra’s only power supplier on Jan. 10, according to Mayor Ryan Luna of Bangued town.

Abra suffered a blackout on Jan. 24 when the Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc. (Apri) disconnected Abreco from its system. The province’s electricity resumed only after last ditch negotiations with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

Lawyer Franco Bawang, CDA Cordillera director, said Abreco’s problems are from its management team. “We have no hand in Abreco,” he said.

The local governments of Bangued, Lagayan, Dolores, Pidigan, San Juan and Langidan joined households and civic leaders in the petition, Luna said.

“CDA has not done anything [to help fix Abreco’s debt problems that led to Apri’s withdrawal],” he told the Inquirer by phone.

But CDA said it was not empowered to meddle with the management of a cooperative. Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon