“Kung titingnan natin, mga marginalized ang mga member-consumers ng electric cooperatives, hindi mayayaman ang nakararami sa kanila lalo na sa mga barangays at sitios”, (If we look at it, member-consumers of electric cooperatives are marginalized, majority of them are not rich especially those residing in the barangays and sub-villages), Apec Representative Ponciano Payuyo said.
By ALEX D. LOPEZ
Davao Today
TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte – The Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (Apec) will raise to the Supreme Court (SC) the recent decision rendered by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualifying it in the upcoming 2013 midterm elections.
In an interview with davaotoday.com, Apec Representative Ponciano Payuyo said they would prove to the high court that they represent the member-consumers of electric cooperatives nationwide, who are also considered as marginalized sectors of our society.
“Kung titingnan natin, mga marginalized ang mga member-consumers ng electric cooperatives, hindi mayayaman ang nakararami sa kanila lalo na sa mga barangays at sitios”, (If we look at it, member-consumers of electric cooperatives are marginalized, majority of them are not rich especially those residing in the barangays and sub-villages), Payuyo said.
Payuyo said that the Comelec might be comparing Apec members to the consumers in Manila who are rich, unlike the ordinary member-consumers in the rural areas.
Payuyo is a former manager of electric cooperative in Palawan. He attended the recently concluded second special general assembly of the member-consumers of Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative (Daneco) here on Sunday and encouraged Daneco members to pursue their decision to register the cooperative under the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).
“The electric cooperative in Palawan is already registered under the CDA and operating as a stock cooperative, the reason why we have lower power rate there,” Payuyo said.
On October 15, Comelec rendered a decision disqualifying Apec to participate in May 2013 elections. Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes simply said there is no sector for electric consumers. The commission also disqualified on the same date 1-Care, another party-list representing electric cooperatives.
Brillantes said the commission’s decision is in line with the current re-evaluation it is conducting on party-list groups including the screening of their respective nominees.
Recently, criticisms were hurled towards the country’s party-list system, saying it is already dominated by spurious organizations being represented by millionaires, politicians and retired public officials.
The Party-list System Act or Republic Act(RA) 7941 only identified 12 marginalized and underrepresented sectors: workers, peasants, fisherfolks, urban poor, indigenous, elderly, handicapped, women, youth, veterans, overseas workers and professionals.
Aside from Apec and 1-Care, Comelec also previously disqualified the Ako-Bicol and some 30 other party-list groups. Brillantes said they may still disqualified more party-list groups for the 2013 elections. (Alex D. Lopez, davaotoday.com)
