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institutional  formations  under  the     t h o s e   w h o s e   o n l y   m e t r i c   f o r
                   Multi-Sectoral Electrication Advisory    performance is limited to power supply
                   Council  (MSEAC)  organized  per          and protability.   But for those whose
                   district.  All its 244 workers are not only   vision  extends  to  greenpowering
                   regular employees, but also are one of    Benguet  and  empowering  its  people,
                   the best paid in the industry. They are   BENECO's Man-asok project is more
                   represented by  an  active  labor union   than just a laudable social initiative. It
                   and  enjoy  a  good  labor-management     is the wave of the future.
                   r e l a t i o n s   m e c h a n i s m   c a l l e d
                   "ASPULAN",  an  Ibaloi  term  which       The Man-asok Minihydro Project
                   means "to gather or a gathering place to
                   conduct  activities  or  arrive  at       Once completed, the Man-asok facility
                   agreements on relevant matters.”          —  BENECO's  rst  initiative  to
                                                             generate its own power — is expected
                   Organized  on  October  5,  1973  as  a
                   non-stock/non-prot  cooperative  and     to produce energy for its 'own use'. The
                   granted  50-year  franchise  on  March    term  'own  use'  refers  to  a  contested
                   20, 1978, BENECO has proven itself        legal concept in the unbundled power
                   capable  of  fullling  its  mandate  to   sector  where  cross-ownership  to  a
                   provide  total  electrication  for  its   certain extent is prohibited.
                   franchise area. In 2012, it has already
                   achieved 100% barangay electrication     Under  the  Electric  Power  Industry
                   and  is  currently  in  the  process  of   Reform Act (EPIRA), a utility can only
                   completing  its  sitio  electrication    be  a  generator,  a  grid  operator,  a
                   program.  With  these  impressive         distributor,  or  a  supplier.  An  electric
                   achievements,  it  is  high  time  for    cooperative  (EC)  is  a  distribution
                   BENECO as an organization to realign      utility and, as a result, cannot simply
                   its vision with the new imperatives of    venture into generation. But according
                   our planet and our communities.           to GM Verzosa, the coop's decision to
                                                             move  into  RE  generation  stands  on
                   As  mentioned  earlier,  the  3-mW        solid  legal  ground.  He  cited,  for
                   hydropower  project  matters  little  to   instance,  Sec.  15.  Chapter  III  of



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