CAGAYAN de Oro City — Electricity consumers in South Cotabato, Sarangani and General Santos City could face higher power costs and lose influence over their electric cooperative if a proposed joint venture between South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (SOCOTECO II) and Ignite Power Corp. pushes through, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) said.
PMCJ according to Mindanao Policy Communications Officer Pat Pangantihon the group is opposing the joint venture agreement (JVA), which would give Ignite Power a 70% controlling interest in SOCOTECO II.
“We all want reliable electricity and an end to brownouts, but consumers should not have to give up their ownership and their voice to get it,” Pangantihon said.
Ignite Power is backed by Primelectric Holdings Inc., associated with businessman Enrique Razon Jr., and MP Holdings Inc., associated with former senator Manny Pacquiao.
The SOCOTECO II board signed the JVA on July 23, 2026.
PMCJ said efforts to have the agreement ratified by member-consumer-owners (MCOs) have raised concerns over whether consumers are being given enough information and opportunity to participate in the decision.
Pangantihon said the proposed arrangement could shift control of a consumer-owned utility away from the communities it serves.
“An electric cooperative exists to serve its member-consumers," said Pangantihon adding any deal that transfers majority control to a private company must be subjected to full transparency, independent scrutiny and genuine consumer participation.
PMCJ also questioned what the agreement could mean for future electricity rates, saying consumers have yet to receive sufficient assurances that privatization would not eventually lead to higher power costs.
The group said the proposed arrangement resembles the joint venture involving Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) and Primelectric, which it described as a model being pursued in South Cotabato.
More than 10,000 SOCOTECO II member-consumer-owners have reportedly supported a complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman against SOCOTECO II and National Electrification Administration (NEA) officials over the proposed deal.
PMCJ is calling for full financial disclosure, independent oversight and an impartial investigation into the JVA.
It also urged the NEA to suspend further action on the agreement's ratification until the concerns raised by consumers are addressed.
For 50 years, SOCOTECO II has been part of the community, he stressed.
"Consumers deserve to know exactly what they are being asked to approve, what control they will retain and how the agreement could affect their electricity bills,” Pangantihon said.
PMCJ said it will continue supporting SOCOTECO II member-consumer-owners who are seeking greater transparency and participation in decisions involving the cooperative.
