Power supply to Pangasinan town hall cut off

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan –   The Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (CENPELCO) cut off power supply to the Malasiqui town hall, police station, public market and plaza last Friday afternoon due to the municipal government’s failure  to pay more than P7 million  in electric bills.

“Nothing personal. I am just doing my job for CENPELCO,” said Engr. Ramil Cruz, CENPELCO manager in this town. 

Cruz told The STAR yesterday that the local government here owed the electric cooperative P9.3 million in arrears from June 2005 to July this year, plus interest. 

Cruz said he wants to show the people that no one is above the law. He said people complain to their office when they disconnect  power supply in residences or buildings for unpaid bills for a month or two only, while the local government unit owes them P7 million plus yet enjoys continuous power supply.

He said they sent the first notice of disconnection last June 15 and the second one on July 28. After the receipt of the first disconnection notice, Gov. Amado Espino Jr. has appealed for reconsideration. 

A month later, however, the bills were still unpaid, prompting Cruz to order his men to execute the disconnection at the offices of the local government unit.

Mayor Armando Domantay told The STAR in a separate interview that he felt “embarrassed and insulted” by the incident as he is very new in the job.

“In my 50 years in Malasiqui, this is the first time that electricity was cut in our town buildings due to unpaid electric bills,” Domantay said. “I will do my best to remedy the situation. We are not turning our back on our debts. But I hope they will also understand that I have just inherited these dues.”

He said he will ask for a comprehensive audit of the local government funds under the previous administration as there was an annual appropriation of P1.5 million for electric consumption. 

Former mayor Alfonso Soriano, who served the town for nine years, told The STAR that two years ago, there was an agreement between local governments units in areas serviced by CENPELCO and the electric cooperative management for the computation of CENPELCO’s taxes in exchange for the electric consumption of the local government units. 

However, the off-setting scheme that was originally agreed upon didn’t push through  because of the change in administration. 

He also clarified that the annual P1.5 million electric bill appropriation in their town budget is untouched. 

He wonders why for the past two years under his administration, no disconnection was ever made despite the growing arrears. He said he is not afraid of any audit as he is not hiding anything.