Manager Zosimo Briones of the National Transmission Corporation-Negros confirmed yesterday that the Bacolod City government can get its power supply directly from the National Power Corp.

Asked if the city can get its power supply for the new government center directly from NAPOCOR, Briones told the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod that the province of Iloilo gets its power from NAPOCOR, and that the Energy Regulatory Commission has approved its contract with the power supplier. He said San Miguel Corp., Gaisano and Distileria de Bago Inc. also get their power directly from NAPOCOR.

Councilor Al Victor Espino said the Electric Power Industry Reformed Act says that the city can access power directly through NAPOCOR.

“Under the EPIRA Law, we can even be the distributor of power from NAPOCOR through TRANSCO and the Independent Power Producers to components of the local government which require power,” Espino said. “All the city needs to do is pay a willing fee,” he added.

Therefore, Espino said, although the two newly-elected directors of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative have declared that they will vote against granting power connection to the new government center, the city can be assured that it can have access to power.

CENECO BOARD STAND?

Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said he hopes the stand of the newly-elected CENECO directors is not sanctioned by its board.

They claim that the city has unpaid bills with CENECO but they should remember that CENECO also has unpaid franchise taxes with the city, he said. The matter has been brought to court and an amicable settlement has been reached, he added.

Sayson said the problem existed long ago, and it even came to the point when former Mayor Oscar Verdeflor threatened to bulldoze the electric posts of CENECO if the electric cooperative cuts off the power supply of City Hall.

However, he added, under the present administration they were able to talk to CENECO, through the courts, to resolve the problem.

CENECO BILLS VS. FRANCHISE TAXES

Based on the records of the city, as of May 2006, CENECO had total unpaid franchise taxes amounting to P166,095,619.13, while the city has unpaid electric bills with CENECO amounting to P141,654,059.13 as of December 2007.

Sayson said the government center has a big brand new generator set that can provide power for a short span of time.

Meanwhile, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said he hopes this is not part of the protracted dream of some people to sabotage the government center. Maybe these people did not succeed in their obvious attempts to stop the project during its construction stage, he said. So now, whatever their agenda is, these people also do not want the project to be finished.

However, Leonardia said they had pursued the project because they believe it is not only needed, but they also believe that an overwhelming majority of the people feel the same way and are in favor of it.

“We are reminding our people that at present our offices are located in eight different areas. With the new government center, we will have them all together to serve the public more efficiently,” he said.

He also thanked again the Gonzaga family for donating to the city the property worth P140-million which, at that time, cost about P280 per square meter.

ILOILO EXPERIENCE

“Let us look at the experience of Iloilo,” Leonardia said. Because Iloilo City did not start their project in 2006, as Bacolod did, they have now been told that their building will cost P80 million more, because of the increase in prices of construction materials, he said.

“Had we listened to the saboteurs and delayed it, the government center, which only costs P390 million, would have cost much more,” Leonardia said.

“Now that we have saved in the cost of the project, some people are still working on sabotaging it through the power connection,” he said.*CGS

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