Apparently majority of member-consumers of the cash-strapped and mismanage Ficelco power distributor in Catanduanes had a sigh of relief when its management was taken over by National Electrification Administration (NEA) couple of weeks ago.
With dispatch the Department of Energy (DoE) through the National Electrification Administration (NEA) sent experts to look into the financial and technical aspects of the perennially problematic power distributor.
We doff our hats to the collective efforts exerted by concerned constituents and leaders—executive, legislative, religious leaders, non-government and people’s organizations.
Be that as it may, while we hope and pray that this NEA takeover will not last longer, allow us to deviate a little to zero on this rare human species, the late and former solon Miriam Defensor Santiago hate most.
Yes, Aling Maring and Mang Pandoy, there was that lone human species who was not happy with that NEA takeover. Turning to the social media, ala- Mocha Uson, this unique MP presumably “put on airs” and went on bullying and trolling rampage, berating those who batted for that NEA takeover calling them “mga patal” (read: patales fuertes).
Some quarters, including this over a decade old community newspaper, cannot decipher or fathom the motive and reason behind the MP’s tirade. And not only that. That MP got the ire and ridicule of those bullied and trolled. Offended no end, one of those whom the MP berated, retorted with indignation, ala-Digong: “Who that MP is anyway? A media practitioner brimming with that Solomonic wisdom while we, are reduced to idiocy or worse, moronic?”
Nevertheless, we’re glad and optimistic that the new general manager (GM)— Engr. Raul Zafe— was accepted and installed couple of weeks ago. For one, he was familiar with the “ins and outs” of Ficelco having been one of its erstwhile middle management ranking official, if we are not mistaken.
Welcome aboard, then, GM Zafe to the Ficelco management. With NEA’s takeover coupled by the Board of Directors’ sound policy- making decision and the new GM’s leadership and managerial experiences honed elsewhere in some government or private entities, we are more less assured of a stable sufficient power supply sooner than soon.
For a starter, GM Zafe had assured the 50,000 plus consumers of a stable power supply within one month. This he did while releasing power interruption advisories and apologizing for its attendant inconveniencies the member-consumers may experience at reduced occurrences.
While GM Zafe made that assurance, it would be advisable and preferable if we gave him that benefit of the doubt and understanding if he fails on his promise. The bottomline is, we must refrain from expecting much from him, beyond his capacity to deliver.
It will take a considerable period of time before the power cooperative can recover from such dismal financial and technical problems. Truly, under such temporary NEA stewardship, the Ficelco management have no choice but to muster its rank and file collective efforts as well as our support and understanding at this critical period in our province as we brace for climate change and focus on our quest for sustainable socio-economic development.
This is no time for blaming and fault finding.
