Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) appealed to the consumer-members of Central Negros Electric Cooperative to support its officials to help find a solution to improve its services, during CENECO’s 36th Annual General Membership Assembly in Bacolod City Saturday.

Benitez, who was keynote speaker during the AGMA, asked the consumers to be constructive and not destructive in finding a solution and to give the CENECO Board a chance to perform their duties and address the problem.

 Benitez was trying to mediate at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum when some member-consumers prevented outgoing CENECO president Edward Gasambelo from presiding, saying his term has already ended.

Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri yesterday said he has filed Senate Resolution 517 seeking an investigation on the reported technical smuggling of sugar resulting to losses in government revenues and a possible collapse of the local sugar industry.

Quoting reports from the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters and the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations, Zubiri in SR 517 noted that in recent months, there had been an increase in the importation of sugar premixes.

However, laboratory analyses from the Sugar Regulatory Administration have revealed that imported sugar premixes contain more than 95 percent  refined sugar, he said. As such, the importation should have been subjected to 38 percent tariff and could have been considered a form of technical smuggling, he said.

Central Negros Electric Cooperative general manager Sulpicio Lagarde yesterday said he had nothing to do with the passage of the Ceneco board resolution being questioned for being falsified, claiming he had been illegally terminated at the time.

He said the resolution was passed on May 26, 2009 and he had been terminated as manager on May 8, 2008 and reinstated only on July 23, 2009.

The Bacolod City Prosecutor has approved the filing of charges against Ceneco president Edward Gasambelo, vice president and secretary Luis Cuenca and Lagarde for the alleged falsification of the resolution and its use.

The prosecutor was acting on a complaint filed by Enrique Tabino, former CENECO legal counsel and OIC general manager.