By BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
KALIBO, Aklan — Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco) general manager Chito Peralta has announced that he will retire effective June 30 this year.
Peralta informed Akelco’s Board of Directors about his plan during their meeting at the cooperative’s main office in Lezo town on Monday, ending months of speculations about his “early retirement” plan.
Peralta is an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors.
In a radio interview, he said he is leaving his position for a personal reason — to spend more time with his family.
“I have always wanted to use my remaining productive years with my family and friends,” he said. “I will live a private life. I want to keep my privacy.”
Sounding emotional, Peralta thanked the employees of Akelco for their support and dedicated service.
The general manager, however, clarified that his early retirement “is not a compromised deal with the National Electrification Administration, where I have a pending case filed by electricity consumers.”
Peralta, 58, has been serving as Akelco general manager for six years and 10 months.
He had seen Akelco grow through the years, even amid controversies on the electric cooperative’s financial status.
In August last year, Peralta defended Akelco’s financial stability in view of a report of a private auditing firm that said the cooperative was losing money.
Balicas, Lamboso & Co. had said Akelco’s liabilities had exceeded its assets by millions of pesos in 2011 and 2012, casting doubt on the cooperative’s ability to recover and improve its operations and liquidity status.
Peralta had denied the report, saying that it was misleading and that Akelco had in fact saved millions of pesos during the said years.
The power distribution facility serves 17 municipalities in Aklan and two municipalities in Antique. It is categorized as Class A+ (Mega-Large) by the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
Wayne Malilay, president of Akelco’s Board of Directors, will take charge of the cooperative by July 1 until NEA appoints a permanent general manager, a source from Akelco disclosed./PN
