RIYADH, 14 February 2008 — Lanao Del Saud Electric Cooperative (Lasureco) debts to its creditors and power supplier has surged to 3.2 billion pesos, ($76 million) in 2007, Sultan Ashary P. Maongco, the newly appointed project supervisor and acting general manager of the company told Arab News.
According to Maongco, this burden impacts on the operation of the cooperative and power outages started to become daily occurrences, and the member-consumers began to complain loudly, he explained adding that payments of their bills suffered hitches, and the vicious cycle came into effect.
Outlining the major causes of the problem Maongco said one of the major causes of the dilemma was the toppling of the electric posts more than 25 years ago. “The toppling of electric posts in the late 1980’s by some unscrupulous persons was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.
Maongco asked for financial assistance from his brethren Muslims philanthropists in the Arab world to help him.
Maongco described the challenges gigantic and called for financial assistance. “In order for us to attract Muslims investors to explore the untapped rich resources in the area, we must have sound power,” he said.
The new management team has recently been tasked to break this vicious cycle. It is mandated to implement the integrated rehabilitation plan for Lasureco.
These plants supply around 55 percent to 65 percent of the energy needs of the entire island of Mindanao, Philippines, composed of 26 provinces, including the province of Lanao del Sur.
Talking on the geographical location of the power plantation Maongco said perched at a height of 2,200 feet, Lake Lanao is the highest lake in the world. It is surrounded by tall mountains and ranges that can be seen from faraway places surrounding the province of Lanao del Sur, home to more than one million Muslim Maranaos.
According to Maongco, the electric cooperatives were organized in these provinces to supply electricity to all households.
In the early days of its operation, it has performed consistently among the top electric cooperatives in the country. It was always chosen as the best electric cooperative by the NEL, the government agency tasked to oversee the operation of electric cooperatives, he said.
But the golden days did not last long. The situation in the province was marred by a seesaw pattern of peace and violence, as the Bangsamoro fought government troops in sporadic encounters in every part of province. Maintenance of power lines became a problem for Lasureco personnel, and services started to deteriorate.
