Saturday, June 07, 2008 Lapu-Lapu City Government owes power firm P25.3M for unpaid electric bills
LAPU-LAPU City’s unsettled debt with the Mactan Electric Cooperative (Meco) for the power it consumed for street lighting has reached P25.32 million.
The amount includes underpayments covering two months each in 2006 and 2007.
With the latest demand letter for payment by Meco, the local finance committee recommended that Mayor Arturo Radaza certify as available for payment the P12 million from donated funds of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and P13.32 million from the General Fund.
City Councilor Damian Gomez, who chairs the finance committee, said that the City Treasurer’s Office should explain why the City incurred such a huge debt because as far as he knew, payment for power consumption is religiously done.
In November 2005 alone, the unsettled debt was P2.66 million.
This accumulated to P25.096 million to cover the months of March, August, September, October, November and December last year. Underpayments covered May and December 2006 and January and February of 2007.
Gomez said it is also very ironic that the City owes Meco that much considering that some of the electric posts on national roads are not functioning because the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has failed to act on their request to replace damaged bulbs.
During the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in January 2007, the DPWH replaced some of the City-owned bulbs with new ones, but months after the summit their bulbs stopped functioning, said Gomez.
The unlighted electric posts posed a hazard to motorists at night, he said.
Payment for the electric bill, though, still has to be authorized through a City Council supplemental budget ordinance. (AIV)
