Over 32,000 member-consumer-owners (MCOs) of South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (SOCOTECO II) overwhelmingly endorsed the cooperative’s proposed conditional joint venture agreement (CJVA) with power firm IGNITE Power, moving the utility a step closer to a partnership aimed at modernizing its aging distribution system.
The approval happened during the cooperative’s 43rd Annual General Membership Assembly (AGMA) on Saturday, which was held simultaneously in four venues across General Santos City and Sarangani Province.
In the same assembly, the MCOs ratified a Board resolution authorizing SOCOTECO II to enter into the CJVA with IGNITE Power — a joint venture between Primelectric Holdings Inc. and MP Holdings.
SOCOTECO II Board President Elenito Senit announced that he signed the CJVA with IGNITE Power on July 23 after receiving authority from the cooperative’s Board of Directors.
He said the agreement would help address SOCOTECO II’s long-standing financial and technical challenges by securing investments needed to rehabilitate, expand, and modernize its power distribution facilities, improve service reliability, and strengthen the cooperative’s long-term financial viability.
The MCOs also approved a separate resolution calling for the immediate conduct of a plebiscite, where MCOs would vote on the proposed partnership before it becomes final and executory.
Another resolution expressed the assembly’s overwhelming support for the agreement, citing the need for substantial private-sector investment to improve the overall quality of electric service across SOCOTECO II’s franchise area.
Senit also directed the cooperative’s Institutional Services Department to immediately roll out a comprehensive information, education, and communications campaign to ensure members fully understand the agreement’s provisions, benefits, obligations, and long-term implications ahead of the plebiscite.
He said SOCOTECO II would first coordinate with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and await the issuance of guidelines before finalizing the schedule and mechanics of the vote.
Under the proposed joint venture, IGNITE Power would infuse fresh capital to rehabilitate aging distribution facilities, expand substations and feeder capacities, replace obsolete equipment, and modernize the power distribution network serving General Santos City, Sarangani Province, and nearby areas.
Addressing the same assembly, Sarangani Gov. Ruel Pacquiao called for closer collaboration between the power sector and the national government agencies to keep electricity rates affordable in the province.
“Investors choose locations where electricity is reliable, stable, and affordable,” Pacquiao said.
“We must work together to identify practical solutions that will provide consumers with dependable electricity at a reasonable cost through transparency, efficiency, and responsible governance,” the governor added.
