URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan - Thousands of member-consumers of the Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (Panelco III), which has more than 80,000 consumers from the fifth and sixth congressional districts and some parts of the third district, are opting for the registration of the cooperative with the Cooperative Development Authority.

Their reason: Such a set-up will exempt Panelco III from paying various taxes - such as real property and business taxes - to the government.

The clamor was initiated and led by popular businessman Rosendo ‘Sendong’ So and was presented during the recent 20th Annual General Membership Assembly of Panelco III at its main office in barangay Nancayasan, Urdaneta City. It immediately got the apparent acceptance of majority of the directors of Panelco III and the bulk of the more than 3,000 consumers who attended the assembly.

Nevertheless, both Panelco III Board President Solomon B. Villar and General Manager Neri F. Policina remarked that Panelco III management cannot promptly decide on the request because the holding of a massive information drives among members, as well as public hearings, are a pre-requisite before any decision can be made.

However, Policina assured that the final decision rests on the consumers themselves in the ultimate analysis. She said they themselves will eventually decide as to whether they would want the status quo or would prefer to be registered with the CDA or the SEC.

So disclosed that, once Panelco III is registered with the CDA, its thousands of member-consumers will automatically become shareholders of the cooperative. He noted that Panelco III currently has more than a billion pesos in total assets and will consequently even have dividends once the cooperativer earns further.

He likewise noted that in 1997, the coopertive’s administration collected more than P80 million from its members for it to be able to register with the CDA. The amount - which has now reached some P105 million - is reportedly deposited in various banks in Pangasinan.

Panelco III Directors Norberto M. del Prado of Urdaneta City and Nestor V. Revita of Rosales, Balungao and Sta. Maria openly came out in favor of the CDA registration option. Del Prado, who is vice president of the board of directors, said he favors immediate registration, if possible. This was promptly echoed by Revita.

Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Danilo ‘Danny’ C. Uy, who is also the incumbent president of the Philippine Councilors League- Pangasinan Chapter, consequently proposed to the Panelco III board that it should effect ways so that public hearings in every town can be held as soon as possible so as to determine the pulse of the membership as regards the issue at hand.

Through all the frenzy, APEC Party List Rep. Ernesto C. Pablo — who was the general assembly’s guest of honor and speaker — said Panelco III has all the right to choose whether it prefers to register with the CDA as a stock cooperative or a stock corporation under the Securities and Exchange Commission or rremain registered under the National Electrification Administration (NEA). He likewise congratulated both the Panelco III officials and consumers for an obviously harmonious relationship, in the process commenting that “Panelco III is in safe hands and may it remain as such.”

He urged the cooperative, however, to do something at once about its high systems loss in 2005, which reached 18.23, commenting that P900,000 would be saved monthly by Panelco III if the systems loss can be reduced by at least one percent every month.