Power restored to Ecija town after 11-day cut-off

PANTABANGAN, Nueva Ecija, Philippines – Some 3,000 households here heaved a sigh of relief last Thursday after electricity was finally restored to the town after 11 days following negotiations with the First Gen Hydro Power Corp. (FGHPC).

Mayor Romeo Borja Sr. said power was restored at around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, a day after an hour-long dialogue among Interior and Local Governments Secretary Jesse Robredo, Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali, FGHPC senior vice president Victor Santos Jr. and himself at the headquarters of the National Police Commission.

Borja said the decision to restore power to his town was reached after the FGHPC and the municipal government signed a memorandum of agreement to settle the P53-million debt of the Pantabangan Municipal Electric Services (Pames) to the FGHPC.

Last July 23, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines cut off power to the Pantabangan barangays of Fatima, East Poblacion, West Poblacion, Liberty, Villarica, Malbang, Marikit, Cadaclan and Napon-napon at the instance of the FGHPC, as Pames, which is administratively supervised by the municipal government, failed to pay P80 million in arrears over five years.

Borja, however, said FGHPC’s figure was incorrect since Pames’ actual loans only amounted to P53 million, while local residents owed P66 million.

Borja said those who criticized the municipal government for the power cut-off were actually among those with huge unpaid electricity bills.

He said he rejected FGHPC’s suggestion to utilize the town’s internal revenue allotment to pay the P53 million.

“We cannot possibly use the IRA to settle our arrears because this is used principally for the salaries of employees,” he said.

This, he said, will be done by collecting the municipal government’s tax collectibles, such as the FGHPC’s real property tax (RPT) payments, the third-quarter RPT from the California Energy International (CEI), the FGHPC’s share in the national wealth and business taxes.