We are not what you said we are

We are not what you said we are

BENECO STATEMENT ON LORRAINE MARIE T. BADOY-PARTOSA'S CLAIMS

We strongly and highly condemn the statements of LORRAINE MARIE T. BADOY-PARTOSA, an anchor of SMNI News Channel, linking the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) to the CPP-NPA-NDF. We were horrified by the gall of her declaration during a recent interview with Col. Christopher C. Sab-it, Deputy Brigate Commander of the 503rd Infantry Brigade, that our electric cooperative has been infiltrated by the CPP-NPA-NDF and has become a milking cow of these organizations.

We find the said statements malicious. We find her charges a clear case of red tagging. This has endangered our lives as employees and officers of BENECO. And to think that LORRAINE MARIE T. BADOY-PARTOSA made her call while hosting some sort of a public affairs program made her standards of ethical journalism highly suspect. The way she purveyed her views obviously manifested her disregard of the rules of fair play in media. The way she deported herself though manifested her sheer ignorance of what BENECO is all about.

We dare publicly summon LORRAINE MARIE T. BADOY-PARTOSA to provide us the information which she said was in her possession during the program. She has to produce them and prove the truth of her accusation. It was an outright peroration that besmirched BENECO's reputation before its Member Consumer Owners (MCOs) who reside in towns and communities that the electric cooperative has so fervently served since 1973.

Right now, we, the undersigned board of directors and employees of BENECO, categorically declare, in her face, that:

1. BENECO is not connected to the CPP NPA NDF.
2. BENECO has not been infiltrated by the CPP NPA NDF.
3. BENECO does not use its resources to fund any activity related to terrorism; and
4. BENECO is not the milking cow of any group or organization.

We also take strong exception to LORRAINE MARIE T. BADOY-PARTOSA's innuendo linking BENECO to corruption and maintaining a lifestyle which syndicates often do. The statement is highly despicable.

We urge LORRAINE MARIE T. BADOY-PARTOSA to check, double check and triple check her sources. Or better, she should formalize her statements before the proper forum so that we will be given due process and have the opportunity to debunk her false claim and expose the fallacy and falsity of her statements.

Madam LORRAINE MARIE T. BADOY-PARTOSA, you practically put us in a bad light. That's libel. BENECO is an electric cooperative committed to perform its mandate to bring light to the rural areas. But we do not only energize. We also fight for what is right.

September 28, 2022