NAGA CITY -- A loose coalition of electric consumers here has raised alarm over the use of calamity fund the government provided the National Electrification Administration (NEA) with allegation that it is being used for trainings of linemen who were not employees of a power cooperative here.

        Lawyer Manuel Teoxon, legal counsel of the coalition that filed administrative charges against members of the Board of Camarines Sur II Electric Cooperative (Casureco II), alleged that Casureco II and NEA jointly conducted last year high-budget training of linemen who are not even employees of the power coop.

        Showing a program of training course dated July 25, 2007, Teoxon claimed the 33 participants of the skill training that he said could had cost some P600,000 were not employees of the Casureco II.

        Slamming the lawyer’s allegations, Eva De Los Martires, investigator/researcher of Casureco II, denied Casureco II utilized the Calamity Assistance and Rehabilitation Efforts (Care) in the training of the linemen.

        De Los Martires accused Teoxon of fabricating the allegation saying the Casureco II uses its own fund to train its linemen and that the cost of each training was provided by the NEA.

        She said they pay for the registration of participants, materials used in the training and honoraria of trainors.

        De Los Martires explained the high-cost of training is reasonable, considering the cost of five meals a day for each participant who is required to live-in for a month.

        Going through the names Teoxon said were paid for by the calamity fund from the national government, she admitted they were indeed not employees of the Casureco II.

        De Los Martires claimed the 33 participants listed in the program paid for their own registration and went on to say that the names were intentionally posted in the program to make beef up Teoxon’s allegation.

        Teoxon alleged the NEA was allotted P500 million under the Care of which Casureco II was allotted with P33 million; Casureco I got P74.5 million; and Casureco IV received P18 million.