Category: News & Events

On July 29, 2018 at around 6:00PM, NEA Administrator Edgardo Rama Masongsong arrived at SORECO II Main Office, Buhatan, Sorsogon City after he attended the stakeholders meeting in Albay Electric Cooperative (ALECO)

In his dialogue with the Board, Management and employees at Casa Dominga, NEA Administrator promised them of his eagerness to support and help SORECO II for its continuous improvement and success. He said that he wants to go back to SORECO II for the launching of S2 radio-tv projects and he intends to attend the coop’s general assembly next year.

He averred that the coop’s radio and tv projects are laudable and he plans to use it for benchmarking so that   all other ECs can replicate the same.# Jose E. Dellosa

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed into law the bill creating the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF), officials said.

The law will go into the books as Republic Act 11039, ECERF Act. It aims to assist to Electric Cooperatives (ECs) affected by natural disasters to restore and rehabilitate damaged infrastructure.

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) will be tasked to coordinate with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in coming up with policies for the implementation of the law.

Under RA 11039, ECs will be required to submit comprehensive and integrated disaster management programs, which will be evaluated by the NEA and NDRRMC. These include Emergency Response Plans, Vulnerability and Risk Assessments, and Resiliency Compliance Plans, among others.

Based on these submissions, the NEA will produce its own National Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Plan (NECERP) to be integrated with the NDRRMC Plan.

The law mandates that P750 million of NDRRMC funds be allocated for the initial implementation of the ECERF Act. The NEA may also receive “donations in the form of funds, materials or equipment, whether local or international, intended for the express purpose of restoring or rehabilitating” power facilities.

RA 11039 consolidates Senate Bill 1461 and House Bill 7054 and was approved by the Bicameral Conference Committee on March 7, 2018.# Source— Charmaine A. Tadalan- Business Word.

“Electric cooperatives are not just suppliers, providers or  distributors of electricity but real instruments of social justice as stated in the constitution, R.A. 9520 and PD 269”, SORECO II General Manager Atty. Percival G. Alvarez said in his speech during the MSEAC 2nd quarter meeting, June 23, 2018 at the MSD Seminar Area SORECO II Bldg., Monreal St., Talisay, Sorsogon City.

GM announced that immediately after the Board convened, they discussed the things on how to help the SORECO II’s friends. “Di lang maghatag kuryente kundi madagdag sin pangkabuhayan sainda”. As the hymn goes –”instrument of progress and social justice”, they believe that every individual has the right to light and  prosperity. The creators of PD 269 believed that ‘when there’s light, there’s hope, when there’s electricity there’s progress because electricity is a catalyst of reform. “These words are empty unless we give life to them”, the GM stated. “With that, the Board decided to have a program in SORECO II which we called the “Dagdag Pangkabuhayan Program”. According to NEA this is a very laudible project. No EC in the whole Philippines has created a program like this. SORECO II will be marked as first to venture into this endeavor. The rule is that the community/sectoral leaders should be involved in this undertaking that’s why SORECO II has this MSEAC. “There are already training schedules to be harmonized with TESDA schedule”, the GM Added. Board President Aurelio Destacamento also gave his updates on the coop board’s accomplishments, plans and programs.#micdelrosario

The SORECO II Board of Directors recently passed Board Resolution No. 178 on June 30, 2018, approving the request for assistance of Albay Electric Cooperative (ALECO) in the conduct of its scheduled district elections dubbed as- “Task Force ALECO District Elections 2018”, which will be participated in by other bicol electric cooperatives.

In a bid to reconstitute the board of directors of Albay Electric Cooperative (ALECO), NEA-Project Supervisor Atty. Omar M. Mayo and Operations Manager Gerard J. Balgemino, sought the assistance of the Bicol Electric Cooperatives’ Association (BECA) headed by CASURECO I GM & BECA President Ana Sylvia M. Alsisto and the Bicol Association of Institutional Managers (Bicol AIM) through its President, SORECO II MSD Manager Ramoncito J. Carranza, in the conduct of board directors’ elections for its nine (9) districts during the BECA meeting held on June 6, 2018 in Naga City.

Atty. Mayo, NEA PS explained that due to the recent mass resignations of ALECO board of directors, he was compelled to order the immediate holding of district elections but the coop has no sufficient manpower since ALECO has only nine (9) employees.

GM Ana Sylvia M. Alsisto assured PS Mayo that BECA will help ALECO. On June 13 and 27, 2018, the joint BECA-Bicol AIM meetings were held at the ALECO office in Legaspi City and made plans for the conduct of said activities.

The sequential schedules of the district elections are: August 25- District III (Malilipot, Bacacay & Sto Domingo); September 01-District IV (Legaspi Port & Rapu-Rapu); September 15- District VII (Guinobatan, Jovellar & Pio Duran); September 29-District V (Albay Dist & Manito) and VI (Daraga & Camalig); and October 13-District I (Tiwi & Malinao) & II (Tabaco).

With the SORECO II BR# 178, GM Percival G. Alvarez committed to send thirty-six (36) SORECO II volunteer-employees who will serve as members of the Precinct Election Committeees (PECOM) in Malilipot, Daraga and Tiwi areas. Other bicol ECs will also field their employees as PECOM members in other designated districts #moncarranza

The SORECO II Multi-Sectoral Electrification Advisory Councils sought the help of the National Electrification Administration (NEA), non-governmental & governmental bodies and congressionial representatives to endorse to congress the amendment of the Senior Citizens’ Act (RA 9994) by applying the 5% electricity discount on the first 100 kwh electric consumption of senior citizens.

During the MSEAC’s quarterly meeting on April 23, 2018 at the SORECO II-MSD training area, Dr. Virgilio S. Real, MSEAC- Sorsogon East District Chair, explained that the law only grants the 5% discount on the utilization of electricity registered in the name of the senior citizen if the monthly consumption does not exceed one hundred kilowatt hours (100 kWh) of electricity.

He addded that such provision amounts to discrimination against those senior citizens whose electricity consumptions exceeded 100 kilowatt-hours per month as they are excluded from this law which is supposed to be a piece of social legislation crafted primarily for the benefit of senior citizens regardless of their financial or social status;

He further added that the seniors who have consumed more than 100 kwh are unwittingly subsidizing the 5% electricity discount given to seniors with 100 kwh or less electricity consumption, thus creating further injustice.

For these reasons, the attending MSEAC members from the nine districts of SORECO II  were unanimous in passing the resolution calling for such an amendment to the senior citizens’ law.#mon carranza

The Bicol Electic Cooperatives Association (BECA) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA)  held the seminar-workshops on the organization of member-consumer-owners and on how to conduct consumer satisfaction survey for bicol electric coops on June 7 and 8, 2018, respectively, at Villa Caceres Hotel, Naga City.

Upon request of BECA President and CASURECO I GM Ana Sylvia M. Alsisto, NEA acceded to hold the said seminar-workshops in bicol instead of doing it in Metro Manila in order to allow as many bicol EC participants as possible at the least cost.

On June 7, 2018, the MCO organizing was conducted by the NEA-IDD-CDPD team composed of  Guillermo M. Paz, DCPD Head; Ma. Regina C. Filoteo, Info. Chief; Claire P. Quetua, Sr. Info. Officer and Geralene T. Castro, CRO. The activity was attended by the bicol coops’ ISD/MSD Managers, Member Services Division Head and Info Officers. Bicol AIM President Ramoncito Carranza and VP Concordio Romano, gave the welcome and closing remarks, respectively.

On June 8, 2018, the Consumer Satisfaction Survey seminar-workshop was conducted by the NEA personnel headed by Mr. Nollie B. Alamillo, Manager, Institutional Development Department -NEA.

The activity  was attended by the General Managers, Institutional Services Department Managers, Area Managers, Branch Managers, Information Officers, Consumer’s Welfare Desk Officers and Information Technology Specialists from the 11 Bicol ECs. SORECO II outnumbered the attendees with 21 participants, 9 of them were Branch Managers, 11 were Consumer’s Welfare Desk Officers and 1 Information Technology Specialist.

The main objectives of the seminar workshop are to measure customer satisfaction through feedback mechanism, improve delivery of electric service, strengthen linkage between electric utilities and MCOS and to earn their  trust and loyalty. Mr. Guillermo M. Paz, CDPD Head,  emphasized the role of ISD Managers & Area Managers & CWDOs in handling consumer’s complaint until it is settled and resolved.

IDD chief Nollie B. Alamillo  discussed the policy re: Customer Satisfaction Survey and the mechanics of its implementation as part of the 2018 NEA performance evaluation criteria for electric cooperatives.# (Justo Lito B. Destura)

The Camarines Sur II and III Electric Cooperatives’ staff  (CASURECO 2 & 3) on separate occasions recently visited SORECO II to gain insights and establish points of reference on SORECO II’ electronic voting and e-registration projects which were recently implemented in January, 2018 and in April this year, respectively.

Mr. Rolando Pante, CASURECO II ISD Manager, together with his staff, Elmer Clarete, Jonnil  Da Siona, Everild Gerd Pablo, Mark Allen Deduque and Cristine Amenillo visited SORECO II April 24, 2018 to query on the policy guidelines and processes in the conduct of board directors’ election through electronic voting of member-consumer-owners. Electronic voting is a term

used to describe the act of voting using electronic systems to cast and count votes. This technology was used by SORECO II when it conducted its board directors’ elections  covering nine (9) districts in January 13, 2018. With CASURECO II’s stay, it hopes to also use the same technology in their franchise area.

Similarly, Ms. Caroline Yorobe, CASURECO III ISD chief, together with her IT staff, Angeline Roman, Mariela Sharif, Kathleen Martal, Mary Joy Ajero and Ann Rochi Iraola dropped by SORECO II office on May 5, 2018 to see for themselves how the electronic registration of member-consumer-owners worked when SORECO II held its 29th Annual General Assembly (AGMA) on April 21, 2018.

In both instances, MSDM Ramoncito J. Carranza & Systems Administrator Antonio Sale, Jr. answered their queries and guided them in simulating the e-voting and e-registration systems. With the approval of the National Elecrification Administration, the e-voting and e-registration are first to be used or implemented in SORECO II from among the electric cooperatives in the bicol region.#moncarranza

The Sorsogon II Electric Cooperative through General Manager, Atty. Percival G. Alvarez, ordered on May 18, 2018, the exemption of senior citizens and persons with disability, who are member-consumers of electricity from the payment of the value added tax (VAT) on distribution, supply and metering (DSM) charges on their monthly power bills.

In his memorandum issued, the general manager directed the Consumer Accounts Management Department to immediately adjust the coop’s billing software and implement the exemptions in favor of the seniors and pwds whose power bills are under their names.

The exemption on the sale, lease of goods and services was anchored on Section 34 of Republic Act 10963, known as the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law or the TRAIN Law in relation to RA 9994 otherwise called as the Senior Citizens’ Act of 2010 and RA 10754 or the Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of Persons with Disability.

The twelve percent (12%) value added tax (VAT) exemption on distribution, supply and metering (DSM) charges on the monthly power bills will ease the senior citizens’ and PWDs’ expenses on power cost thus giving them the chance to instead spend the saved money for their medical and other basic needs. #moncarranza

To provide livelihood projects for the SORECO II member-customer-owners (MCOs), the SORECO II board of directors and management decided to allocate pangkabuhayan grand prizes for the 29th Annual General Membership Assembly (AGMA) held on April 21, 2018 at the Sorsogon National High School covered court, Magsaysay Avenue, Sorsogon City.

Dir. Maria D. Surbano of Prieto Diaz district, Chairman of the Consumer Relations Committee, sponsored a resolution authorizing the SORECO II General Manager Atty. Percival G. Alvarez to allocate and release necessary fund intended for the grand prizes (BOD Reso. # 87 S.2018) which was unanimously approved by the board during its regular board meeting on  March 17, 2018. #mpd

The grand prizes include one unit Bajaj tri-wheeler and one unit Kawasaki Barako 175cc tricycle. Other big consolation prizes were also raffled-off to the attending member-consumers.