Now Marelco's talking

It has taken nearly a decade for Marelco to state in black and white that its overdue accounts with NPC "stemmed from non-payment of Fuel and Purchased Power Adjustment (FPCA) in 2002". This, according to Marelco, resulted to NPC's withholding of Marelco's entitlement to Automatic Prompt Payment Discount (APPD).

This occurs after years of secrecy, non-transparency and a lot of hogwash have been fed to all Marinduque power consumers, it may not even be right to repeat the lies here.

In a resolution dated July 12, 2011, No. 2011-48 A, Marelco sought the support of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Marelco's appeal with the National Power Corporation for the condonation of interest on its power bill. Marelco also stated in their resolution that NPC has imposed interest charges on overdue accounts amounting to Php 12,787.750.97 as of Dec. 31, 2009.

But the above-mentioned admission is only one part of how the electric cooperative got embroiled into its current financial mess. But that's the fate of some type of electric cooperatives.

There are a lot more that our "impressionable" public should know that should be stated in black and white. For example, it appears that there hasn't been an instance when Marelco ever turned over the millions of pesos it has collected in value added taxes (VAT) to any collection agency. That's scandalous enough. But an amount of more than P 40-million from the VAT collection was unilaterally spent by Marelco as a "judgment call" for the rehabilitation of its lines and facilities damaged by super-typhoon "Reming" in 2006. Some Marelco employees insist, however, that NEA provided a grant in the amount of P 32-million for that purpose.

Now that the Marelco board is beginning to talk, they should be encouraged to tell us more, tell us more, for a much-deserved breakthrough in truth-telling to Marinduque power consumers. Will there ever arise an heroic whistle-blower from Marinduque?

"Normal power supply" for a week from August 8


Meanwhile, Marelco informs that normal power supply shall be temporarily restored for one (1) week starting Monday, August 8, 2011 due to "change in schedule of expected date of arrival of fuel from August 5, 2011 to August 7, 2011".