Members and consumers of the Benguet Electric Cooperative are being advised to settle their bills only at the Beneco collections centers to ensure their payments will be credited and accounted for.
In an advisory signed by General Manager Melchor Licoben on Oct. 27, Beneco advised its clients to settle their bills at the collection centers at the Beneco main office along South Drive, Bonuan Condominium at Salud Mitra, Maharlika Livelihood Complex, and at the Beneco buildings at Km. 4 La Trinidad and Bekes, Buyacaoan in Buguias.
The advisory also warned that Beneco does not have a collection center at the YMCA Building at Session Road.
The advisory came after the confusion caused by the Oct. 18 incident when Atty. Omar Mayo, who was appointed by the National Electrification Administration as project supervisor of Beneco, took over the offices of the electric cooperative and, together with NEA-Board of Administrators-appointed general manager, Atty. Marie Rafael, employed tellers to collect bill payments from Oct. 18 to 20.
In a separate advisory also issued on Oct. 27, Beneco declared as missing the official receipts for the payments made from Oct. 18 to 20.
“The persons deployed at our collection centers at Maharlika, Bonoan, South Drive from Oct. 18 to 20 are not employees of Beneco and they are not authorized to collect payments,” the advisory stated.
Members and consumers can also settle their bills in other Beneco accredited payment centers, banks, and through other payment platforms.
Those who settled their bills covering the dates were advised to bring their original receipts to the Beneco collection centers for recording and proper accounting.
The advisory added payments that were issued with the missing original receipts will be reflected temporarily as arrears, but no penalties will be imposed and no disconnection will be implemented.
To recall, employees of Beneco did not report for work when NEA took over the South Drive main office on Oct. 18, claiming they were threatened when they saw anti-riot police who were deputized to prevent the entry of the seven board of directors and Licoben to the premises of Beneco.
The employees reported back to work in the afternoon of Oct. 20 after a peaceful reoccupation of Beneco’s main office by the workers, members and other consumers.
During the city council session on Oct. 25, where Mayo was invited, he told the council that the collections made on Oct. 18 to 20 are all accounted for and were deposited to an undisclosed bank. – Jane B. Cadalig
