FRANCHISE RENEWAL. Some of the distribution facilities of Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative (Dorelco) inside its headquarters in Tolosa, Leyte. The cooperative is confident that its 50-year franchise renewal will be approved by lawmakers. (Photo courtesy of Dorelco)
TACLOBAN CITY - An electric cooperative in Leyte is confident that their 50-year franchise renewal will be approved by lawmakers.
Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative (Dorelco) with franchise area in central Leyte said it is largely counting on the support of power sector party-lists in the House of Representatives.
These party-lists are the Association of Philippine Electric Cooperative (APEC), Philippine Rural Electric Cooperative Association (PHILRECA), Rural Electric Consumer and Beneficiaries of Development and Advancement, Inc. (RECOBODA), and Cooperative NATCCO Network Party (COOP-NATCO).
“I think (Senator) Imee (Marcos) cannot say no because Dorelco is a project of his father and the cooperative carries the name of his grandfather. Leyte province is in the heart of the Marcoses and Romualdezes” Laniba said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
In 2018, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) has asked electric cooperatives to file their application for the renewal of distribution franchise at least five years before the expiration considering the lengthy congressional hearings, deliberations, and several requirements.
The power distributor is named after the donor of the land in Tolosa, Leyte where Dorelco is headquartered. Dorelco’s 50-year franchise will expire in 2027.
Among the documentary requirements are a copy of the House Bill for renewal or extension of franchise and index service, copy of the existing franchise law, executive summary of the historical accounts, certificate of good standing from the concerned regulatory agency, certified true copy of the audited financial statements, Bureau of Internal Revenue tax clearance, and soft copies of documentary requirements.
Dorelco was established on June 21, 1971, thru the declaration of Presidential Decree 269, as Leyte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LECI) financed by a long-term loan of PHP28M to the government through NEA by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Their first franchise was approved in 1977.
The cooperative’s franchise area is 164,426 hectares bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the eastern part and the mountainous range of the coverage area lies the towns of Burauen, Dagami, and Lapaz on the western part and the towns of Abuyog, Javier, and Mahaplag on the southern portion and the town of Tanauan on the northern side. (PNA)
