Airport authority pulls plug on power ‘thieves’

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is bent on reducing its huge monthly electricity bill by cutting off the illegal connections of a Catholic church and 22 homes, including that of a ranking official.

MIAA general manager Alfonso Cusi said the illegal connection of the Our Lady of the Airways Parish church, would be cut yesterday as they had warned its parish priest, Monsignor Modesto Teston, in a letter sent to him last week.

"Tuloy yun. Puputulan namin," Cusi said.

In the case of Elpidio Mendoza, MIAA’s assistant general manager for engineering and maintenance, Cusi said they are still waiting for the results of an investigation being conducted by Robert Uy, his head executive assistant, on the discovery that the engineer’s house was among the 22 found to be illegally tapping their electricity to the MIAA power grid.

"We’re still investigating," Cusi told The Star in a phone interview the other day.

However, he said that Mendoza’s illegal connection was cut last week.

MIAA made the discovery of the illegal connection of the church and the 22 households last week when they conducted a night-time disconnection of the power lines of MIAA areas near adjacent barangays to identify homes and establishments that have "jumpers" or illegal connections, particularly in Barangay Pildera, Pasay.

Cusi admitted that they were surprised when the OLAP church was among those that were identified as having an illegal tap to the MIAA power grid.

For his part, Teston, expressed confidence that his request to Cusi for a delay in the cut-off would be granted.

In a letter he sent to Cusi last Monday, Teston asked for a reprieve so they can make the necessary arrangements. He expressed surprise at the rather speedy implementation of the cut-off.

Teston said that it was to his understanding that current MIAA management knew of the arrangement which, to his knowledge, was known by previous MIAA general managers.

He said that previous general managers had pledged support to the church and believed the free electricity was one of them.

"In my own estimation, I have always understood it to include support in terms of our electrical connection. For surely, they must have been informed by the proper office about the silent arrangement," Teston said in his letter to Cusi which he showed The STAR yesterday.

Mendoza, for his part, defended his home’s illegal connection, saying that it was made with the approval of previous MIAA general managers since the time of the Eduardo Carrascoso in 1989.

Mendoza showed reporters his letter request for exemption from telephone, water and electric charges dated April 12, 1989 that was duly approved by Carrascoso.

Mendoza said that he had informed subsequent general managers of this exemption and they had verbally approved its extension.