Electric cooperatives (ECs) should not rest on their laurels and continually strive to further enhance the quality of service to better respond to the ever-increasing needs and expectations of electricity consumers in remote and far-flung communities.
National Electrification Administration (NEA) chief Edgardo Masongsong emphasized this during the gathering of Area Managers and Consumer Welfare Desk Officers (CWDOs) of different ECs during a recently concluded seminar-workshop at the NEA H.E.S. Auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City.
Masongsong, in his remarks, recognized the role of Area Managers and CWDOs as vital frontliners in helping to promote and protect the rights and interests of the member-consumer-owners (MCOs) within their respective coverage areas.
In view of the recent challenges facing the electrification sector, the NEA chief said the ECs need to double down on efforts to educate and empower the consumers, them being their greatest asset.
“We have to promote the happenings and the accomplishments of our electric cooperatives. If the member-consumer-owners complain about your services, educate them. Because at the end of the day, an electric cooperative would not exist without its consumers,” he said.
If the member-consumer-owners complain about your services, educate them.
The NEA head likewise underscored the imperative for a strengthened movement-building of the ECs to preserve the gains of rural electrification, which over the decades has contributed significantly to social and economic development and reduction of poverty in the countryside.
The seminar-workshop, which was a collaborative effort between the Institutional Development Department (IDD) and NEA-EC Training Institute (NETI), brought together 226 participants, composed mostly of Area Managers, CWDOs and representatives of 99 ECs nationwide.
During the activity, topics such as the NEA’s thrusts on MCO empowerment, the role of Area Managers and CWDOs in attaining the rural electrification agenda and in addressing consumer complaints and requests, overview of revised key performance standard, and policy on customer satisfaction survey were covered.
The breakout session also gave an opportunity for the participants to assess the existing EC feedback mechanism, key issues and challenges, and identify potential strategies and interventions to be implemented to improve their work and better serve the rural communities.
Among the resource persons who shared their insights were Presley De Jesus, president of Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc. (PHILRECA); Ret. Gen. Akmad Mamalinta, national chairman of National Center of Electric Cooperative Consumers, Inc. (NCECCO); David Solomon Siquian, chairman of Philippine Federation of Electric Cooperatives (PHILFECO); Thomas Villaflor, chief executive officer of Rural Electrification Financing Corp. (REFC); and MCO specialist Edmundo Pacamalan, Jr.
Anchored on the theme “MCO Empowerment Towards Attaining a High Degree of Satisfaction and Loyalty,” the seminar-workshop concluded on Thursday (April 5) with the oath-taking of newly-elected officers of Area Managers Association of the Philippines (AMAPHI) and EC Consumer Welfare Officers of the Philippines Association (ECCOWPA).