The significant date - October 18, 1973, when SOUTHERN NUEVA ECIJA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE (SONEECO) energized ten (10) towns namely Penaranda, General Tinio, Quezon, Aliaga, Licab, Sta. Rosa, Jaen, San Antonio, Gapan and San Isidro.  Unofficially, Gapan Electric Corporation serving then the municipalities of Gapan and San Isidro became the nucleus of the cooperative when the management of the said corporation was taken over by NEA headed by ENGR. AMADO T. CORREA on October 24, 1973 and the NAPOCOR re-energized the electric system of two (2) towns namely, Gapan and San Isidro. It was immediately followed by organization of District Electrification Committees and the Board of Directors.  System loss was at the average of 18%.

On November 24, 1973, after a month long hectic preparation, the incorporation and registration of SONEECO ensued and the historic event was held at the Bulwagang Plaridel, PRRM Compound, San Leonardo, NuevaEcija.  The occasion was witnessed by the Incorporators who also served as the first set of Board of Directors namely Msgr. Jesus B. Estonilo representing San Leonardo, Dr. Tomas A. Borja, representative of Gapan, Mr. Eduardo G. Esquivel, representing Jaen, Engr. Rodrigo Villanueva representative of San Isidro, Atty. Tiburcio V. Empaynado, Jr. representing San Antonio, Mr. Felipe I. Dayao, Sr. representative of Sta. Rosa, Mr. Isidro Manuel, representing General Tinio and Mr. Joaquin Padilla, representative of Penaranda.

 On January 4, 1974, the official take over of the electric systems in the eight (8) towns covered by the coop took place.  Thereafter, on February 2, 1974, the loan agreement in the amount of P 13,276,000.00 was signed including the official turn-over of the private electric systems.  All these events took place inside the PRRM compound in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija.  National Electrification Administrator Alfredo Juinio came as the guest speaker. On September 1, 1975, the electric system of Cabiao was absorbed by the coop. CAROLUS of Quezon followed on March 1, 1976.

Rehabilitation of electric lines commonly known as the installation of backbone system by the EUREKA Engineering firm was effected.  The cost of installation reached the tune of P 848,847.25.  The backbone system meant improved voltage and A-1 reliability.  Moreover, the coop had met the high standards set forth by the National Electrification Administration, the implementing arm of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos in rural electrification.

 

 

Later, the coop acquired a seven (7) hectare lot in Barangay Malapit, San Isidro, NuevaEcija at a cost of P 349,770.00 where the permanent headquarters were constructed and blessed on December 18, 1977 with Deputy Administrator Bobby de Ocampo and wife as guests.

NEECO I also set aside a loan of P 450,000.00 to the Nueva Ecija Furniture and Industries, Inc. which started its full operation in Penaranda, Nueva Ecija.  NEFUR manufactured assorted quality furniture.  The industry somehow eased the unemployment problem in the community but failed due to lack of funds.

Thereafter, a local manager was appointed to replace Engr. Correa.  He was the late CESAR G. LAMSON who died unexpectedly in June, 1979.  System loss was recorded at 29%.  From then, two (2) short-term Officers-in-Charge from the coop employees were appointed one after the other.   They were MS. CARMENCITA ALGAS, former Office Manager, and followed by MR. MARIO ESTRELLA, former Staff Assistant. Afterwards, management of the cooperative was delegated to numbers of NEA managers who were assigned to the cooperative.

MR. HERNANDO ESGUERRA took over the management after the death of GM Lamson.  Rehabilitation projects and installation of the backbone system to the remotest barangays were effected.  System loss was at the average of 46.50%.

On September, 1981, the areas being served by NEECO I were divided and taken over by NEECO II leaving only five (5) towns to the Cooperative.  In 1986, the National Electrification Administration sent MR. FLORO FRESNOSA to manage NEECO I but the Board of Directors refused to accept him.  He stayed at NEECO I for only a month and thereafter at the first quarter of 1987, Mr. Esguerra was replaced by another NEA man in the person of ATTY. RODOLFO FELICIO.  

Frequent Board and management clashes, employee union problems, so with political intervention had contributed to the slow downfall of the cooperative.  System loss was recorded at 42% resulting to frequent power disconnection by NAPOCOR.  In 1988, NEA assigned MR. JUANITO IRABON who was also immediately replaced by MR. EVANGELITO ESTACA, also of NEA.  It was during Mr. Estaca’s term when union problems were resolved resulting to the rehabilitation of the coop. Meanwhile, system loss reached 57% high.

Despite employees’ request for him to stay, on January 20, 1990, Mr. Estaca was recalled and was replaced by ENGR. ALBERTO A. GUIANG, also from NEA.  System loss was 47%.  Simultaneously, Engr. Guiang was also assigned to manage NEECO II.  On September 8, 1990, ENGR. PATRICIO DELA PENA, another NEA man was assigned as Project Supervisor/Actg. General Manager replacing Engr. Guiang.  It was also during Engr. Dela Pena’s term when NEA dissolved the composition of the Board of Directors to give way to Engr. Dela Pena’s management strategies.  System loss was 42.49%.

On February 1, 1993, NEA decided again to replace Engr. Dela Pena assigning a CPA in the person of MR. EFREN I. BATI.  However, NEA decided to reactivate the Board of Directors by holding elections.  Mr. Bati’s term resolved several management disputes resulting to the coop’s ability to settle part of its overdue amortization to NEA.  System loss was at the average of 42.89%.  However, Mr. Bati’s style of management resulted to clashes with the Board of Directors and on August 19, 1994, the Board, without NEA’s approval decided to replace him with a coop Department Manager in the person of MR. DANILO F. TAN.  This act of Board caused division among coop employees. 

Mr. Tan terminated eight (8) employees who did not follow his orders.  He replaced them with other coop employees who were not qualified.  Because of the chaotic condition of the coop, NEA decided to advertise for a local manager to manage the cooperative and on January 2, 1995, NEA appointed MR. GIL SALAZAR as Local Manager.  System Loss was recorded at 37%.

Mr. Salazar’s management did not resolve issues resulting from Mr. Tan’s previous appointment.  On November 24, 1995, the Board assigned MR. GREGORIO T. VELARDE, a coop Division Manager as Officer-in-Charge of the cooperative and at the same time suspending Mr. Salazar.  On December, 1995, NEA finally terminated Mr.Salazar’s services.  Mr. Velarde’s designation was confirmed by NEA but a group of coop employees who were also responsible for the ouster of Mr. Bati illegally took over the management and the coop premises on January 28, 1996.  The Board, the employees were also divided into two (2) groups supporting two Officers-in-Charge with ENGR. ORLANDO S. TRINIDAD as the other OIC.

For their inability to enter the coop compound, Mr. Velarde’s group temporarily held office in the town proper of San Isidro.  On April 22, 1996, Mr. Velarde’s group was able to return to the Main Headquarters and continued managing the cooperative.  Losses to coop properties, cash, bank deposits and very low morale of coop employees were the results of all these management problems.  Forty (40) employees who supported Engr. Trinidad’s illegal management were dismissed.  System loss remained at 37%.

It was a very slow road to rehabilitation and because the coop is now facing foreclosure by NEA, on May 2, 1997, NEA replaced Mr. Velarde by assigning another NEA man, ENGR. JOSE H. SEGUBAN, JR. as Project Manager.  During his term, system loss was improved to 36%.

A NEA order replaced Engr. Jose H. Seguban, Jr. likewise assigning ENGR. FERDINAND PAMINTUAN as Actg. General Manager of the cooperative effective February 2, 1999.  This time, he also assigned Mr. Romulo Reyes to the Special Operation Task Group (SOTG), a NEA personnel as MSD Assist to the General Manager.  It was recorded that System Loss during the term of Engr. Pamintuan was reduced monthly with an average of 35.40% for ten (10) months. 

MR. JOHN C. CATRAL also of NEA replaced Engr. Pamintuan on October 6, 1999. Mr. Catral initiated several strategies during his term.  Likewise, NEA sent a Management Task Force to assist him in rehabilitating the cooperative.  However, for management to fully implement its programs without intervention, NEA decided to designate the Board as a mere Advisory Council and later put them into an inactive status.  System loss was recorded at 39.77% as of February, 2000.

On May 2, 2000, due to problems arising from management-employee relationship, NEA replaced Mr. John C. Catral, this time with MR. INOCENCIO M. DAVID, JR., another NEA man who was also the Project Manager of the NEA Management Team (defunct NEECO III now named NEECO II-Area 2).  Under the new management, a fast-track rehabilitation program of the cooperative was undertaken with the support of the local government officials particularly in the system loss reduction program.  As of July, 2000, system loss was reduced to 28.08% with collection efficiency continuously improving.  The cooperative then has a total workforce of 266 employees with 42,726 consumers being served.

On March, 2001, NEA organized a Multi-Sectoral Executive Council (MSEC) composed of representatives from the different Sectors of Society in the coop’s coverage area to replace the set of Board of Directors who were placed into inactive status to  assist management in the implementation of NEA’s programs of NEECO I rehabilitation. 

On April 24, 2001, Mr. David was replaced by MR. DANILO M. CRUZ (20) with NEA Task Forces that were organized to assist in the immediate rehabilitation of the cooperative. Mr. Cruz introduced some innovations to coop operations like the GLORIA Project (One-Stop-Shop) where consumers availed of PAY LIGHT mode of payment for new connections.  Free street lightings for deserving barangays (ALAY-ILAW Project) were also implemented to encourage barangays to settle their bills even ahead of the due dates.  However, on January 21, 2002, Mr. Cruz was replaced again by MR.ISIDRO E. EDQUILA also from NEA, as Project Supervisor/Actg. General Manager.  Mr. Edquila’s term was short lived, on February 12, 2002, he was recalled to NEA for  a new assignment with the designation of ENGR. WILFREDO O. BUCSIT as Officer-in-Charge and later as Actg. General Manager of the cooperative.  However, on December 31, 2003, all NEA employees were recalled and were considered legally terminated in compliance with the provisions of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.  System Loss was 18.08%.

To fill-up the void in the coop’s leadership, a Transition Management Committee was organized to handle the affairs of the cooperative with 235 employees, and likewise designating a Senior Officer, Technical Services Department Manager MR. ORLANDO S. TOLENTINO as Team Leader.  

Because of the declining coop operations, on April 6, 2006, the MSEC requested NEA to assign a Project Supervisor to assist Mr. Orlando S. Tolentino in implementing plans and programs to rehabilitate the Cooperative.  On April 12, 2006, NEA approved the request by virtue of Office Order No. 2006-046 by designating ENGR. PAULINO T. LOPEZ as Project Supervisor.  With him were group of NEA auditors who conducted audit of all aspects of coop operations.  On August 2006, Mr. Hector Tabilisma was also assigned as Institutional Assist of the Cooperative.

On September 15, 2006, Engr. Lopez and Mr. Tabilisma were recalled to NEA. Mr. Tolentino was reinstated as Team Leader and was given a period of three (3) months to improve coop operations. 

On November 15, 2006, Engr. Lopez, Mr. Tabilisma and Mr. Romeo Acuesta were again assigned in the Cooperative, now as PS/Actg.GM, Institutional Assist and Financial Assist respectively while NEA is fast-tracking the selection of a Local General Manager for NEECO I. Sytem Loss for 2006 was at an average of 20.74%

On July 16, 2007, NEA has finally chosen and appointed a new local General Manager, MR. ROGELIO B. MARZAN and extending the services of the three (3) NEA Assists another one (1) month before their final recall to NEA.  System Loss for 2007 was 21.69%. However, on February 6, 2008, Mr. Marzan filed his irrevocable resignation designating MR.ORLANDO S. TOLENTINO as Officer-in-Charge.  The designation was confirmed by the MSEC and NEA as Team Leader of the Management Committee (MANCOM) initially for a period of one (1) month but was extended until such time that a local General Manager is hired.  

On April 8, 2008, ENGR. BONIFACIO A. PATIAG was appointed by NEA as the coop’s new General Manager.  In totality, since the coop’s founding management was entrusted to SEVENTEEN (17) NEA personnel, SIX (6) Officers-in-charge/Team Leader, THREE (3) short term Local General Managers and the present Local General Manager effective April 8, 2008. The ten (10) year term of Engr. Bonifacio A. Patiag has brought about dramatic changes in the cooperative.  As a former employee of NEECO I, Engr. Patiag’s leadership was welcomed by his contemporaries as well as the new and young generation of NEECO I workforce.

To continuously upgrade the cooperative’s system and cope up with increasing demand for energy due to continuously growing business industries, for the year 2015, NEECO I decided to construct and install 1-20 MVA Substation at Sapang, Jaen and 1-10MVA at San Roque, San Isidro. For the year 2016, additional feeder for Gapan Substation was constructed and 14.40km of lines from San Vicente to Sta. Rita Jaen were rehabilitated from Single Phase to V-Phase. Due to the said upgrading, system loss of NEECO I has continuously improved.

The Sitio Electrification Program was implemented by the cooperative to continuously support the program of the national government. Five (5) sitios were completed in 2015 while four (4) sitios where completed in 2017. 

Networking with local government offices and attendance to Sangguniang Bayan, Panlungsod and Panlalawigan meetings were implemented to boost cooperative image.  Information drives thru social media, radio programs and barangay meetings were undertaken to enlighten member-consumers on rural electrification issues and concerns. The Cooperative also uses the SMS technology to immediately disseminate scheduled and emergency power interruptions.

The advent of computers has revolutionized the workplace and redefined operational practices. The cooperative believes in the importance of technology which cannot be overstated. NEECO 1 had introduced the web-based and mobile-based integrated information systems named NEECO 1 Cloud powered by the Matrixmedia Team. This NEECO 1 Cloud is used by all departments of the cooperative to further deliver a fast and reliable service for the old and new member-consumer-owners.

To empower the Member-Consumer Owners (MCOs), the cooperative initiated the creation of Multi-Sectoral Electrification Advisory Council (MSEAC) in the towns of San Antonio, San Isidro, Cabiao, Jaen and City of Gapan. The said MSEAC will serve as the representatives and voice of MCOs to NEECO 1. The cooperative also started to form the MCO Organization called “KAakibat na SAmahan ng mga Miyembro Konsyumer At KA May-ari ng NEECO 1 (KASAMA KA)”. The said organization will be assisted by the cooperative on establishing livelihood projects. 

To become an aide on the improvement of the standard of living of MCOs and as part of NEECO 1’s Cooperative Social Responsibility, together with Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc., computers, laptops, printers and computer tables were donated to different public schools within NEECO 1’s area coverage. 

The cooperative and its employees also take part on sharing their blessings by donating cash that were used for purchasing School bags and slippers that were given to the chosen students from different public schools. In December 2016, NEECO 1 also launch its “Share-A-Light” this Christmas program wherein employees and the Multi-Sectoral Executive Council (MSEC) purchased a lantern which were placed on the Giant Christmas Tree. The proceeds were used in giving a simple “Noche Buena” package for less fortunate MCOs within NEECO 1 coverage area.

In-house and outside trainings and seminars were conducted and attended by coop employees to cultivate potential leaders. Part of the cooperative annual activities are the tree planting and blood donation of coop employees facilitated by Red Cross volunteers. For 2015 to 2018, NEECO I continuously promote camaraderie by conducting annual team building of employees. Other activities undertaken by the cooperative include Monthly Birthday Celebration, Sports and Recreational Programs, Valentine’s Party and Mother’s and Father’s day celebration. 

Good deeds and accomplishments were rewarded with additional incentives while misdoings were given appropriate penalties to develop employees’ discipline and morale. 

To recognize, reward and acknowledge employees’ valuable efforts and service leading to upliftment of their morale and motivation towards a more efficient and effective performance of their duties, NEECO I started to give awards and recognition on Service and Attendance last 2015.

Last March 2016, NEECO I through the Multi-Sectoral Executive Council approved the establishment of a Contingency Fund as Aide for relief operation for our member-consumer-owners in times of emergency such as calamities, disasters and catastrophe. While on December 2017, NEECO I conducted its 4th Medical and Dental Mission in order to fulfill and realize the Cooperative’s social responsibility and commitments.

For years 2016 and 2017, NEECO 1 was still able to maintain its “AAA” category with 100% rating for both years.

 

 

 

 

Mandate, Vision and Mission Statements

 

MANDATE

Total electrification of the NEECO I coverage area pursuant to the provisions of P.D. 269 and P.D. 1645

 

VISION

A highly acclaimed power service provider in the Country by 2030

 

MISSION

To deliver reliable and competitively-priced electricity with utmost customer satisfaction

 

CORPORATE VALUES

• Solidarity

• Excellence

• Reliability

• Viability

• Integrity

• Commitment

• Equality