THE streetlights in Consolacion will soon be lighted again. This development came after the local government entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Visayan Electric Co. Inc. (Veco).
Consolacion Mayor Avelino Gungob and Ma. Chona Y. Tiu, Veco vice president for administration and chief financial officer, signed last July 1 the MOA settling the town’s streetlight bills.
In recognition of Consolacion’s need to continuously provide public service to its people, Gungob agreed to pay the amount of about P5 million, representing the electricity consumption of the town’s streetlights from February 2003 up to May 2005.
Supply of electricity to the streetlights in Con-solacion has been disconnected since May 2005 after the payables accumulated to more than P5 million due to non-payment by the barangays in the area.
Resolution
Municipal Councilor Ben Ermac, with the support of ABC President Maria Analee Gungob, facilitated the payment of the streetlight bill.
Councilor Ermac sponsored the resolution authorizing Mayor Gungob to enter into the MOA with Veco on the streetlight consumption payables.
With the settlement and signing of the MOA, Mayor Gungob stressed that the responsibility to pay the streetlight electric bills has now been transferred to the barangays.
The Municipality of Consolacion will no longer assume the obligation of paying their bills.
Veco is waiting for the barangays’ application for reconnection of their streetlights. No additional requirements will be required from them. However, the barangay captains will have to issue a certification, declaring that an amount has been allocated equivalent to one year of its streetlight consumption.
Consolacion has already paid the initial amount of P600,000, while the remaining amount will be paid in regular annual installment of about P1.5 million starting March 2009 up to 2011. (PR)
