Loyalty is a virtue

After a day’s bonding with the daughter Sunday, we proceeded to a new shopping complex in the city. It’s a little exploration for her since she just returned to Bohol last week.

She had organic ice cream from The Buzz. We sat on the corner bench provided for The Buzz’s spa clients. A few minutes later, I had Batchoy at Binalot. It’s the food shop where everything you eat has to be wrapped in banana leaves. But the Batchoy was not wrapped huh!

Anyways, as I was relishing my Batchoy ala Boholano with gusto, it rained harder. Shiloh and I watched the rain as well. We absorbed everything in our present environment. In simpler terms, we tuned it. A utility man was busy mopping the wet floor. Customers from the complex hurriedly got inside their vehicles but were afraid to get wet. I thought they could have waited for the rains to stop. Wishful thinking. More cars arriving. The rain didn’t stop.

Then the head security officer (he looks the part) approached the utility man who was mopping the floor. I remember the guy from my high school days. I didn’t forget the face. I then narrated to Shiloh how I remember the guy. I told her the guy has been serving this business establishment since I was in high school. He used to wear the blue security guard uniform back then. Shiloh responded by saying, “talk to him Ma”. I rose to the challenge. I called him and said, Sir I remember you from my high school days. You were serving their original store. He smiled broadly and said, yes Ma’am; I have served this company for 35 years. I was 19 when I started working here and now I have produced an Engineer who works at Panglao Island Nature Resort; a Nurse who works at a local hospital, and a CPA. The company helped me educate them, he added. He was beaming with joy and pride as he shared his story. He said the bosses helped him. I also met my girlfriend who eventually became my wife at the same company, he further explained.

He asked, you do remember me Ma’am? I said yes. He looked glad I did.

We spoke about how city folks used to watch movies at the old movie houses located on the second floor of the original business arcade. In those days, those were the only air-conditioned movie houses. Boy, I remember the days.

Thirty five years is no small feat. It is loyalty etched in the heart and mind of this simple man. What an inspiring story.

That’s Roque Yana. His story is worth emulating.

BOHECO I celebrates 42 years of service

Ring of loyalty

BOHECO I, Bohol’s pride has grown immeasurably by leaps and bounds through the years. Indeed, its “cup runneth over”. From its humble beginnings on August 11, 1971, it has expanded practically in all areas – from operations to physical expansion, as a distribution utility. It has evolved side by side with the evolving and dynamic power industry.

With a strong workforce of 307 plantilla personnel, it efficiently operates and maintains five substations namely: Maca-as Substation in Tubigon, Villarcayo Substation in Carmen, Loay Substation, Dampas Substation in Tagbilaran City, Maribojoc Substation, and Panglao Substation; 3,457 circuit kilometres of distribution lines; serves 128,236 households broken down into 108,580 residential, 1,075 residential (Cabilao), and 1,661 residential (Island Barangays); 5,332 commercial small, 328 commercial large; 33 industrial; 2,708 public buildings; and 8,519 street lights. It has a total combined asset of P1,545,494.00 as of June, 2013.

Maintaining its competitive advantage, BOHECO I has also diversified its operations by putting up the BOHECO I Sevilla Mini-Hydro Corporation. The distribution utility also owns and operates the Janopol Mini-Hydro power plant. The Sevilla mini-hydro power plant has a capacity of 2.5-megawatts while the Janopol mini-hydro power planthas a capacity of 5-megawatts. The combined power generation of both power plants supplies the 2.2-megawatt requirement of BOHECO I’s franchise area. The rest of the power requirement is supplied by the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market or WESM, Cebu Energy Development Corporation, and Sta. Clara Power Corporation.

Consistent upgrading and modernization of its equipment and facilities to be at par with industry standards is a leadership commitment. The electric cooperative invests in equipment, facilities, and modern transport to ensure a fast, efficient, and optimum delivery of services.

“BOHECO I: Lighting the Past; Blazing the Future”, a coffee table book discusses in detail the developing years of the distribution utility. It’s a must-read book since it walks you through the early beginnings of the electric cooperative: how it came to be; its early successes; the visionary leaders; among others. It is also a detailed description of the early years when power supply in the province’s municipalities was scanty and only available for a few hours daily.

Through the years, BOHECO I has been a consistent awardee of various awards coming from the National Electrification Administration. For 2011 alone, the electric cooperative garnered the following awards: Grand Diamond EC Award, Best in System Loss Performance Awards (Single Digit System Loss), Consistent Single Digit System Loss for the last 10 consecutive years, Best in Collection Performance Award, Best in Region Award, Award to an EC Regional Association that interacts regularly with each other via video link and Information Technology and informs the member consumers through printed materials and other means that tackle issues common to the ECs, and Consistent 100% Collection Performance for the last 15 consecutive years.

BOHECO I does not rest on its laurels as it consistently advocates a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program that harmonizes the electric cooperative’s operations and its corporate responsibility towards the consumers it serves. Included in its holistic CSR package are Scholarship grants for deserving children of member-consumers, Brigada Pasiga, and other livelihood assistance projects.

The electric cooperative is also committed to the preservation of the environment through the Janopol watershed rehabilitation project. In 2012, 3,070 Mahogany seedlings were distributed to individuals who planted the same in alienable and disposal lands.

These seedlings were best planted in catchment areas in portions of Balilihan, Sevilla, Catigbian, and Sagbayan, and the whole of Carmen and Batuan, all in Bohol.As of December, 2012, BOHECO I has distributed a total of 197,273 seedlings covering 87.72 hectares of land.

BOHECO I invests P150,000.00 annually in the Janopol Watershed Rehabilitation Project. This is top management’s commitment to sustain the Janopol watershed.

BOHECO I is also a committed partner of the Multi-Sectoral Electrification Advisory Council (MSEAC). The organization of MSEAC is an offshoot of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA).The MSEAC strengthens the role of the electric cooperative’s member-consumers as important players in the rural electrification program under the changes and challenges of the EPIRA regime. 

The future looks very bright for BOHECO I as it continues to flesh out its Vision of “An electric cooperative with highly-professionalized services for customer delight.” Supportive of this vision is the cooperative’s mission “To deliver quality electric service for the cooperative's area coverage up to the last sitio as well as the delight of its customers and manpower.”

Indeed, BOHECO I consistently pioneers and carves its leadership role in the electrification of the Bohol countryside pushing the economic progress of these areas. We are proud of our humble beginnings, grateful of the people’s support, and inspired by our accomplishments even as we continue to deliver quality electric service to all.