Timid

The efforts of CASURECO II member-consumers, following the June 1 General Assembly attended by around 5,000 members, to follow protocol by seeking the intervention of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) in the uproar created by the unjustified and unannounced power rate increase of the cooperative's management went for naught. The response of NEA Deputy Administrator Eduardo Piamonte last June 11 to the complaints and consequent resolutions of CASURECO II member-consumers against the cooperative's leadership was disheartening. Worse, it elicited the impression that NEA tolerates-if not, is inutile against-CASURECO II management led by OIC General Manager Jane Barrameda and Board President Atty. Perfecto Nixon Tabora.

Demanded to conduct an audit and a proper investigation while at the same time placing in preventive suspension the abovementioned CASURECO II officials, NEA only responded timidly. And asked to reverse the power rate increase imposed by CASURECO II which resulted from the questionable contract entered into by the said cooperative officials with In2Power, NEA reportedly can only remark that such actions belong properly to the Energy Regulatory Commission.

NEA's promised response to the member-consumers' General Assembly of June 1 only provided more disappointment to a public weary and wary of Barrameda's management of the power cooperative. Its response (or non-response from the looks of it) was useful only to the beleaguered and inept CASURECO II management.

In view of this lack of action on the part of NEA, the legal action being prepared against CASURECO II management must be pursued all the more. At this point, it is becoming apparent that reliance on NEA to resolve if not provide some relief to burdened power consumers is grossly misplaced. NEA's timid response is indicative of its unwillingness to side with the huge majority of CASURECO II consumers to suspend Barrameda et al and conduct a long overdue probe of the cooperative.

As a Bikol adage says: Pag gusto, dakul paagi. Pag habo, dakul an rason.