First of 2 parts

FOR nearly two years, the North Davao Electric Cooperative (Nordeco) has been resisting attempts by the neighboring Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC) to take away some or all of its service area. As Nordeco is a cooperative, that is, a form of public company ostensibly owned by its 'consumer-member-owners,' the nauseatingly overused phrase substituted for the word 'customers' by virtually all Philippine co-ops, and DLPC is a part of the Aboitiz Power enterprise, the co-op has found a sympathetic audience in some quarters with the all-too-common 'evil corporation greedily trampling on the little guys' narrative.