The agreement covers the lease of an “overhead 69kV sub-transmission line, 69kV submarine cable, and 20MVA substation in the Island Garden City of Samal, including the operation and maintenance of electricity distribution facilities in the area.”
The document, allegedly signed by Acting General Manager Elvera Alngog and NORDECO Board Vice Chairperson Dr. Alejandro C. Rodriguez, shows that NORDECO committed to pay the firm about P150 million from 2023 to 2027, and P175 million from 2028 to 2032.
While we cannot yet verify the authenticity of this document, its contents are alarming. NORDECO has never disclosed any information about this project to the public. Given its scale and impact on residents and businesses in Samal, transparency should have been non-negotiable.
Consumers are aware that NORDECO secured a P1 billion loan for the submarine cable, yet no substantial updates have ever been released. Worse, the alleged document suggests that NORDECO has been paying the firm since 2023, despite the absence of a functioning submarine cable connecting Samal to the main grid. By 2025, NORDECO may have already released around P450 million without delivering tangible progress.
This situation validates the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte’s call, during the September 2025 joint meeting of the Provincial Development Council (PDC) and Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC), for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the Samal submarine cable project. Whether they have the same document or other undisclosed information remains unclear.
The alleged agreement raises urgent questions: Was this deal approved by the NORDECO Board of Directors? Was it ratified by member-consumer owners? Can appointed board members, without a direct mandate from consumers, enter into contracts of this magnitude? And most importantly: where is the submarine cable?
If NORDECO has indeed been paying since 2023, then consumers have been carrying this burden for years. This could explain the persistently high power rates. How else is NORDECO financing its loan?
Before dismissing these concerns as “fake news,” NORDECO should release a full financial report on the P1 billion loan. Another hollow press statement will not suffice.
NORDECO’s continued lack of transparency and accountability is unacceptable. As a public service cooperative, its leaders must remember: they are answerable to the people. They serve us, not the other way around.
Finally, NORDECO’s lack of transparency stands in stark contradiction to its motto of Serbisyong Kinasingkasing (“Heartfelt Service”). There is nothing heartfelt about withholding vital information from the very consumers they are meant to serve.
📸Nordeco
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