Bohol, power firm give copy of joint venture pact to city

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines  – The city government finally received a copy of the controversial Joint Venture Agreement (JVA), between the provincial government and the Salcon Group of Companies, signed about 12 years ago, resulting into the creation of the Bohol Light Co. Inc (BLCI).

The city has been asking the province for such copy for the past two months to be able to determine the legality of the JVA, which in turn could validate the proposed increase of electric rates filed by the BLCI at the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Mayor Dan Neri Lim even wrote on Nov. 3 Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas Pelagio Apostol for intervention in directing the provincial government to furnish the city with a copy of the JVA, which he said would enable the residents to support their position against the power rate hike.

The city also wanted to know how the BLCI came into existence after the province sold the then Provincial Public Utilities Department (PPUD) to Salcon during the term of former governor and now Rep. Rene Relampagos (1st district, Bohol).

BLCI owns 70 percent of the power company while the province has 30 percent. The province has repeatedly reasoned out in the past that it could not provide the city the copy of the JVA yet because it must refer and consult the matter first to the BLCI as a matter of protocol.

Lim finally got his wish during the public hearing on the rate increase proposal held at the Governor’s Mansion.

In that hearing, ERC Commissioner Maria Teresa Castañeda told all parties that the JVA is a public document and then ordered BLCI officials to hand over a copy of it to the city government represented by Lim himself, and City Councilors Nerio Zamora II and Doni Piquero.

BLCI counsel Michael Ancheta and manager Eulogio Signe, and provincial government lawyers John Mitchell Boiser and Peter Imam Mende did not interpose objection to the order of Castañeda.

Ancheta however reminded the city officials that article 18 of the JVA provides for “confidentiality clause” of the agreement. (FREEMAN)