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Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Lanao Sur folks expect end to daily brownouts
By Lino Dela Cruz
Iligan Correspondent
MARAWI CITY -- Residents in this city and Lanao del Sur are anticipating the end of daily brownouts, which had plagued these areas for decades.
Marawi City Mayor Omar Solitario Ali said, "There are positive signs that the almost 24-hour brownouts that this city and the province of Lanao del Sur have been suffering for the past decades would soon end if not minimized, following the opening of the National Power Corporation's (NPC) Agus 1 50MVA."
Ali said this would be linked to the 69KV line, which is to be completed in the first quarter of this year.
"When this link is completed, there will be enough electric power for the city and province," assured Ali.
Ali said at present, NPC could only supply 16MW out of the 22MW actual consumption of this city, which explains the "rationing" of electric power to the different areas.
"On any day, we have about 10 brownouts" he said.
During a recent meeting with NPC officials, it was reported that the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Lasureco) that distributes electric power to this city and the province has an outstanding debt to NPC in the amount of P2.3 billion.
Lasureco, which has difficulties in its administration and problems in its 30-year old technical infrastructures, had failed to meet its obligations to NPC.
Lasureco pointed out problems in its collection from consumers that resulted to a collection efficiency of only seven percent.
But residents and the cooperative's officers would challenge the billing of NPC to Lasureco of P2.3 billion.
They claim that about 54 percent of this debt is attributed to "systems loss" even if the "mother" electric meter for Marawi and Lanao del Sur is located at the NPC's Mindanao office located in Iligan City.
The local government units (LGU) proposed that the distribution of electric power would be through clustering of towns and the collection to become responsibility of the LGU.
Marawi City would also have a separate line and be responsible for collecting from its consumers.
Mindanao State University (MSU) and the surrounding barangays inside the sprawling campus already signed a Memorandum of Agreement with NPC for its own separate electric power supply.
The university is responsible for its own collection from consumers, according to Ricardo de Leon, MSU acting president.
(March 8, 2006 issue)
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