Maguindanao Electric Cooperative (Magelco)

The Maguindanao Electric Cooperative (Magelco) based in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao is asking exclusion from the Court of Appeals (CA) order freezing some P1 billion public funds in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

"We were surprised Magelco was included in the CA order, we have nothing to do with the case and that we are not part of ARMM nor with the Ampatuan case," Tumagandang Zainal, Magelco board president said after its depository bank refused to accept transactions from the electric cooperative.

"I hope it will be corrected very soon," he said, adding that it would be very difficult for the Magelco cashier and accounting office to keep the money in the Magelco office.

"We deposit our collections daily to the depository bank, but for the past two days, our transactions were denied," he said.

Zainal stressed that Magelco is a cooperative and is owned by member-consumers.

Zainal fears of possible surcharges and interests to be imposed by National Power Corporation or National Grid Corporation of the Philippines due to non-payment.

He appealed to the CA to review its order and hopefully, exclude Magelco as soon as possible.

In a 23-page resolution dated June 6, 2011, the appellate court's Second Division directed 28 banks, the Philippine National Police-Firearms and Explosive Office, Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Registers of Deed of Davao City, Maguindanao province and Cotabato City to immediately freeze the assets of the entire Ampatuan clan and their alleged conduits.

The freeze order covered 28 respondents from the Ampatuan clan headed by patriarch and former Gov. Datu Andal Salibo Ampatuan Sr. of Maguindanao; wife Hadja Bai Laila Uy Ampatuan; former mayor Datu Andal Uy Ampatuan Jr., suspended ARMM Gov. Zaldy Puti Uy Ampatuan, and Sajid Islam Uy Ampatuan, among others.