Electric Distribution & Supply

The South Cotabato I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SOCOTECO-I) was incorporated and registered as a non-stock, non-profit membership electric cooperative on August 31, 1971 under the provisions of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) Act (RA 6038) as amended by Presidential Decree 269. It became the 12th electric cooperative to be registered by NEA.

SOCOTECO I initially covered the six towns of Koronadal, Banga, Surallah, Norala, Tampakan, and Tantangan. A core group, known as the Provincial Electric Cooperative (PEC) Team, composed of Antonio A. Joseph (Koronadal), Fernando G. Exmundo (Banga), Antonio L. Villanueva (Surallah), Feliciano L. De la Cruz (Norala), Teodorico N. Josol (Tampakan), and Atty. Pio B. Mariñas (Tantangan) was created by the provincial government to oversee the initial steps of establishing the program. These incorporators also served as the cooperative’s Interim Board of Directors (BOD) and were considered the very foundation of the electrification program in the province. Capt. Celestino F. Desamito was designated as Officer-In-Charge/Acting General Manager.

On August 2, 1976, NEA designated Efren D. Bautista as Acting General Manager. Under his management, headquarters and substation construction work sped up. The turnover ceremonies of the deed of donation of the site by the then Gov. Sergio Morales and family took place on May 7, 1977. On August 1, 1977, the cooperative officially took over the facilities and operations of the Marbel and Banga Electric Plants. With the transfer were 11 employees and 2,592 consumers. Mass hiring of employees went underway. Personnel held office in various locations—the Boy Scouts building in Alunan Avenue, Gerodias Bodega in Bo. 2, Patawaran Building in Koronadal—before construction of the headquarters at Matulas, Koronadal was completed on June 23, 1979.