SAN CARLOS CITY –Financial constraints may delay for one more month, or even longer, the restoration of electricity in all the service areas of the Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (Cenpelco).

Cenpelco management has admitted it had little money for rehabilitation and had just sought and been granted P25 million loan from the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to help in partial relighting of its subscribers’ damaged connections.

The amount is not enough, the late slain Sandra Frias, spokesperson of Cenpelco, stressed in radio interviews, because the devastation wrought on facilities of Cenpelco by the typhoon was so massive it amounts to something like P70 million.

Frias was slain mysteriously Wednesday night as she was going home in her car to Basista.

Another coop official said they had asked President Arroyo through Rep. Rachel Arenas to help the cooperative since it has to complete its rehabilitation and bring the third district back to normal and on its feet.

Cenpelco has had to appeal to member-consumers to pay their arrearages with the coop in the payment of their electric consumptions so the firm can raise some more money to buy repair materials.

To date, only about 50 percent of the affected areas covered by Cenpelco has been energized, mostly the town centers and a few outlying barangays.

The bulk of damage and target of the rest of restoration is on the lateral lines going into the barangays.

Cenpelco is the second biggest electric cooperative in the country, covering 558 barangays, spread in 14 towns and one city in its coverage areas.

Thousands of member-consumers are still groping in the dark and are now impatient over the long delay in the restoration of electric services.