Power coop consumers barred from voting (Sun.Star, Monday, November 19, 2007)

Power coop consumers barred from voting

By Ian Ocampo Flora

PORAC -- Consumers of the Pampanga Electric Cooperative (Pelco) here have aired their anger and disgust over their seeming “disenfranchisement” in the election for district director after most of them were not able to find their names in the list of member-consumers.

Almost three hundred consumers who flocked to the polling place here were not able to vote in the district director election on Sunday after the cooperative informed them that they are only “consumers” and not bona fide “member-consumers”.

According to Ana Lea Narciso of Pelco 2, the people who are eligible to vote are only those who have registered themselves as “member-consumers”.

She added that consumers should have had their memberships updated in order to vote for the district elections.

Consumers, on the other hand, have criticized the cooperative for not informing them about the need for registration as member-consumers.

Teresita Ignacio stressed that the cooperative should have informed them of their rights as consumers and informed them about pertinent concerns and development.

Elections for district directors are held every three years wherein the seven electrical town districts (Sta. Rita, Lubao, Guagua, Bacolor, Mabalacat, Porac and Samuan) of the cooperative would designate their new district directors based on popular votes. The district director is responsible for various consumer issues in the towns to which they were elected. The district director for each town would then sit as member of the board of directors of the cooperative and would be tasked in making collective decisions on the management of Pelco 2.

According to the Pelco 2 by-laws, a member-consumer should have paid the necessary membership fee of P5 before being considered as a regular member.

Narciso said some consumers have failed to update their membership due to many factors. She clarified that in the last district elections, consumers were allowed to vote with member-consumers because of a “covenant” among the past candidates.

Pelco 2 had designated Porac Central School as the only polling place for this town’s 28 precincts.

Narciso said consumers who would like to become member-consumers could have their membership updated through their town district offices and undergo the required orientation procedures.

Other towns being served by Pelco 2 will be electing their district directors in the coming weeks. Towns which have not yet elected their respective district directors include Mabalacat, Lubao, Bacolor and Guagua.