“YES To JVA” Receives 55.53% Of Votes
The only solution to the electricity problem of Bacolod City is the Primelectric (Negros Power) and CENECO Joint Venture Agreement (JVA).
Good News Regarding the JVA
Everyone in Bacolod is happy that the majority of CENECO consumers have favored the Joint Venture Agreement with Primelectric. On August 27 (the 6th day of the plebiscite), the Yes to JVA accumulated a total of 98,591 votes or 55.53%.
Only 88,870 approving votes were needed to achieve the majority, equivalent to 50% plus 1 vote out of the 177,737 qualified voters who are member-consumers of CENECO.
| Voting Dates | YES | NO |
|---|---|---|
| June 24 | 13,587 | 3,748 |
| June 25 | 8,087 | 2,319 |
| August 19 | 24,641 | 284 |
| August 20 | 21,247 | 250 |
| August 26 | 25,245 | 116 |
| August 27 | 5,784 | 137 |
| Total Votes as of August 27 | Total YES Votes | Total NO Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 105,490 | 98,591 | 6,899 |
Significance of the JVA
- Primelectric will invest in improving, replacing, upgrading, and modernizing distribution facilities.
- The JVA will enable Primelectric to provide Php1.7 billion to help settle CENECO’s debts.
- System losses passed on to consumers will be capped at 5.5% as regulated by the ERC.
- Negros Power will apply for a congressional franchise with CENECO holding a 30% share.
- In a 5-year development plan, they will increase substation and transformer capacity, replace wooden poles with concrete, reinforce primary lines, upgrade to digital meters, and strengthen responsiveness to lessen unscheduled brownouts.
- The cost of electricity will decrease.
Reason Why the YES Vote Won
Many CENECO consumer-members have showed their support for the approval because the in-depth information, education, and communication campaign organized over the past three months by JVA advocates has been effective in explaining to them why this partnership between CENECO and Primelectric is very important.
Conclusion
CENECO and Primelectric signed the JVA on June 3, 2023, and was ratified by consumer members through a weekly plebiscite which began on June 23 and ended on September 3.
I’m delighted that the YES votes won convincingly even if the plebiscite hasn’t ended yet (scheduled on September 2 and 3). This just proves that when people get together and let their voices be heard, they will be victorious.
