The Camarines Sur I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CASURECO I), the first electric cooperative in the province of Camarines Sur, was incorporated and registered on November 27, 1972. It has an area coverage of ten (10) towns/districts and 287 barangays.
Its first loan agreement was signed on January 23, 1973 in the amount of P12,876,600.00. District I, Libmanan, first saw the “light” of rural electrification in fitting switch-on ceremonies on January 12, 1974.
Its headquarter facilities costing P2.1M sits on a five hectare lot at Puro-batia, Libmanan, Camarines Sur.
POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS
CASURECO I has a coverage area of 10 towns – 4 from the first congressional district, namely, Ragay, Sipocot, Lupi and Cabusao; 5 from the second congressional district, namely, Libmanan, Pamplona, Pasacao, San Fernando and Gainza; and 1 from the third congressional district, Camaligan. Through agreements made with QUEZELCO I, it services barangays Salvacion and Nagkalit of Del Gallego.GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
CASURECO I has a total land area of 144,745 hectares broken down as follows : Libmanan 33, 620 has. Pamplona 8,062 has. Cabusao 4,681 has. Pasacao 14,954 has Sipocot 21,160 has. San Fernando 6,600 has. Lupi 25,312 has. Gainza 1,821 has. Ragay 27,235 has. Camaligan 1,300 has. It lies southeast of Metro Manila, bounded on the east by San Miguel Bay, on the west by Ragay Gulf, on the north by Camarines Norte, on the south by the town of Minalabac, and on the southeast by Naga City.
PHYSIOGRAPHY
The area of CASURECO I is hilly and mountainous, with flat areas and coastal plains. Prominent bodies of water are Ragay Gulf which runs through the towns of Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Libmanan, Pasacao and San Fernando, and San Miguel Bay which coasts along Cabusao, Libmanan and Sipocot. The principal river is the Bicol River which traverses the towns of Libmanan, Pamplona, Gainza and Camaligan. Prominent even in historical notes is the vast Tangcong Vaca mountain range. Mangroves and nipa swamps abound, alongside rivers, streams and creeks. Its land area is mostly dedicated to agriculture and grazing, some for residential purposes, and the remaining area for commercial and industrial uses. There are vast forest lands, prominent of which is the Bicol National Park along the borders of Lupi and Camarines Norte.AGRICULTURE
Major crops include palay, coconut, corn, rootcrops, fruits and vegetables, citrus, banana and mango and some spices. Libmanan was once tagged as the “rice granary” of Camarines Sur because of its highest percentage in rice production. Its vast, plain area is highly suitable for rice production, its full potential hindered only by irrigation problems. Sipocot and Ragay are known for their citrus production, while Lupi is mostly known for its coconut plantations and lumber production.TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Fishing abound in Pasacao, Cabusao and in parts of Libmanan, Ragay and Camaligan. Ragay is popular for its “sugpo” and “aniit”. Camaligan is into deep-sea fishing, which has encouraged entrepreneurs in the area to venture in ice plants, fish preservation and canning and similar business ventures. Palay and copra trading thrive, and many are into sand-and-gravel quarrying. Cottage industries include nipa-shingles-making, furniture-making, basket-weaving. Most households engage in livestock raising for business and personal needs. Contract growing for poultry and lately, cacao, have developed into large businesses with the entry of large companies from Metro Manila. Rice mills, welding and vulcanizing shops, shops offering personal services dot the urban and rural areas. Trading involves both wholesale and retail.
TRANSPORTATION
The Maharlika Highway greatly facilitated travel from Manila to Bicol and within the province. The Quirino Highway (now Rolando R. Andaya, Sr. Highway) further improved travel and mobility of the populace, cutting travel time from Metro Manila to Bicol from 10 to 7 hours.
Roads are mostly concrete and asphalt, or gravel. Vans, buses, jeepneys, trimobiles, and pedicabs abound. Transportation by sea from Manila is possible thru the ports of Pasacao and Ragay. Large “bancas” regularly traverse Ragay Gulf and San Miguel Bay. Rail travel was via the Philippine National Railways (PNR) or by motorized skates.
Small barangay roads are passable for trimobiles, pedicabs locally known as ”padyaks”. Far-flung barangay residents with narrow roads not passable by regular jeepneys or trimobiles, prefer the much-in-demand “habal-habal” or motorcycles for rent. Footpaths are for mountainous areas which can only be reached by hiking.
STATUS OF ENERGIZATION
CASURECO I attained 100% energization in 2001. With the inception of the Sitio Electrification Program (SEP), a banner program of Pres. Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III aimed at electrifying sitios and zones countrywide, CASURECO I continuously energized sitios within its coverage area. To date it has already energized 214 sitios. CASURECO I has come a very long way since its birth in November 27, 1972 serving the cause of rural electrification.
AWARDS AND CLASSIFICATION
CASURECO I is now classified as GREEN coop. This is among the highest classification of coops nationwide.
With the assumption of GM Ana Sylvia M. Alsisto in 2011, reforms in all aspects of coop operations – institutional, financial and technical were instituted. CASURECO I was able to hurdle seemingly insurmountable odds and leaped from Category E in 2010 to Category AAA in 2020. As of November 2020, per Performance Monitoring Standards Report, CASURECO I is categorized AAA.
By December 2020, System Loss is 8.44 % and Collection Efficiency is 98% with 28 days average collection period.
CASURECO I is a continuous recipient of Prompt Payor Award from the San Miguel Energy Corporation, its power provider.
