Consumers call for reform, reject politics in SOCOTECO II—survey

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Bantay Kuryente Movement released results of a snap consumer survey showing strong public support for reforms at SOCOTECO II, including improved service, professional management, and the removal of political influence.

The survey involved 100 respondents from General Santos City, Sarangani Province, South Cotabato, and nearby areas, reflecting the views of Member-Consumer-Owners (MCOs) amid ongoing privatization discussions.

Majority open to higher rates for better service

Results show that 91.5 percent of respondents are willing to accept a slight increase in power rates if brownouts are eliminated or reduced and customer service improves. Only 8.5 percent prefer to keep the current system, indicating growing dissatisfaction with frequent outages and weak service.

Strong support for co-ownership and professional management

On governance, 95.7 percent of respondents want to retain their co-ownership and voice in managing the utility. Only 4.3 percent support a full takeover by a private group and the abolition of the cooperative, signaling that consumers want reform within the cooperative—not its removal.

Unanimous rejection of politics

All respondents said politics and politicians should be kept out of the cooperative, calling for SOCOTECO II to be run strictly as a service-oriented institution.

Statement from Bantay Kuryente

“These results confirm what consumers have been saying for years: they want reliable power supply, better customer service, and a system that works,” the group said. “They want to keep their co-ownership and voice in management, and they want a power utility free from politics.”

Call to action

The Bantay Kuryente Movement urged the SOCOTECO II Board of Directors to respect the will of the MCOs. It also called on the National Electrification Administration and other regulators to strictly follow the law, including competitive bidding in selecting any partner, and appealed to all MCOs to unite for a power utility that truly serves the people.