Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

Akelco Annual General Membership Assembly Myth

I was one among the audience to the so called Akelco Annual General Membership Assembly held Saturday afternoon, June 6 in Lezo, Aklan.

While observing the proceedings happening inside the Job Y. Besana Hall, I thought I was in a wrong activity, not in an assembly. After the preliminary numbers like Doxology, singing of the National Anthem, recog-nition of delegates and guests, and opening remarks. Cong. Joeben T. Miraflores was introduced, the guest speaker. After his message, the three new members of the Akelco Board of Directors took their oath of office.

Business meeting followed with BOD chair Jose Carl C. Quimpo presiding. Engr. Celso Tajanlangit declared there is "Proof of Due Notice" and "Quorum". The minutes of the previous assembly was approved.

Mr. Jose Carl C. Quimpo presented the Report of the Board which enumerated the doings of the BOD. But what Mr. Quimpo reported was his resentment regarding the people’s perception and negative reactions on the doings of Akelco voiced via the Aklan media.

I felt, Mr. Carl Quimpo was seeking refuge among the participants present. I expected he will disclose his answer on the P92 million indebtedness to GBPC or the BOD action on the EPPA between Akelco and Global Mirant among others.

General Manager Chito Peralta delivered his GM’s report. Like Mr. Carl Quimpo, Mr. Peralta exhibited his resentment on the way Akelco management was being criticized in the media as if he was seeking shelter among the participants. But Peralta pledged, "We will keep the lights on".
Akelco must be commended for its 99.14 percent collection efficiency and reducing the system losses to 12.06 percent.

I must congratulate the member consumers for paying the electric bills on time. In his presentation, I was afraid when Mr. Peralta described the deplorable and the predicted short supply of electric power in Panay. I was doubly scared when GM Peralta revealed NPC has unilaterally abrogated its contract to supply Akelco with electric power until 2011. Peralta said, Froilan M. Tampingco of NPC sent him a letter informing NPC will only supply Akelco with electric power until June 25, 2009. After that period, Akelco must source electricity somewhere.

Akelco Board Does None

What did Akelco BOD and management do with that letter from Mr. Tampingco? I waited for any action done on the letter. I never heard any step done to enforce the terms and condition embodied in the said NPC-Akelco contract agreement. Quimpo who claims BOD is working too hard for Akelco consumers did not reveal any measure done to compel compliance on the contract. Peralta was also silent on it except the suggestion to see and talk to Ms. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. May he does it.
Akelco BOD and management could have invoked compliance of the contract. What is contract for? Can either party abrogate it without the consent of the other?

No General Assembly

The thing that took place in Akelco in the afternoon of Saturday, June 6 was no annual general membership assembly.

It was an oath taking ceremonies. It was a refugee seeking exercise in the participants who listened to the lamentation of Carl Quimpo and Chito Peralta on the concerns of the consumers voiced over the radio.

It was only the BOD and management who talked. Participants no talk. They were given one half sheet of paper where to write their questions to be submitted to the table. Some 15 minutes were allotted for open forum but it was cut short because of lack of time. It was an assembly of BOD and management with con-sumer members as listeners.

2008 Annual Report

The 2008 Aklan Electric Cooperative annual report is lauded with 10 messages which came from: Sec. Angelo T. Reyes - Department of Energy, Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut - Energy Regulatory Board, Francisco G. Silva - Presidential Adviser, Edita S. Bueno-of NEA, Cong. Joeben Miraflores of Aklan, Governor Carlito S. Marquez, Vice Gov. Gabrielle V. Calizo-Quimpo, Lezo Mayor Victor L. Fernandez, Jose Carl C. Quimpo, and Chito R. Peralta both of Akelco.

These messages are quite an accomplishment! It also includes a one paragraph write-up each of the members of the BOD and the general manager.

Also included is a 4 pages Statement of Financial Condition as of December 31, 2008 and 2007. This will be our subject in the next column. Two items are of interests. In 2008, Akelco sold energy valued at P830,853,881. However, for the same period, Akelco spent P957,351,991 or loss of P126,498,110. Is this profitable business?

ERC Penalizes Akelco

For implementing a certain project without any imprimatur from the ERC, Akelco is penalized P496,000. Akelco management offered ERC to pay P248,000 at 50 percent discount. What is the violation Akelco did? Did Akelco accepted its fault without any question?/MP