Cordova Mayor hits Meco over power restoration delay

File photo
File photo

MORE than two months after Typhoon Odette (Rai) struck Cebu, parts of Cordova town still don’t have power and this has prompted residents to run to their mayor for help.

Cordova Mayor Mary Therese “Teche” Sitoy-Cho responded by firing off letters to the Mactan Electric Company (Meco), inquiring on why the distribution utility had not fulfilled its commitment to restore power in the town by Jan. 20.

But Meco says it has not reneged on its promise at all.

“It has been two months since the super typhoon hit the entire Cebu Province and until now some of our constituents agonize in the aftermath of the typhoon,” Sitoy-Cho said in a letter to Meco senior vice president and general manager Gilbert Pagobo last Feb. 22.

She reminded Pagobo that during their meeting with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia last Jan. 5, “you have said that you will restore and reconnect the electric lines in our municipality 15 days from the said date.”

She called for immediate action on the matter.

Criticizing Meco

Earlier, on Jan. 21, Sitoy-Cho had also scored Meco for announcing on its Facebook page last Jan. 19 that its restoration and repair of downed poles in Cordova had been hampered by the road widening program of the Cordova local government unit (LGU).

The mayor informed Pagobo that the road widening program in question was a project of the Department of Public Works and Highways-District 6, and not of the LGU, and that Meco’s post had just caused the residents to wrongly lay the blame for the delayed power restoration in the town on the LGU.

In her Jan. 21 letter, she asked why no one from Meco had bothered to communicate with the LGU on the matter if it truly believed the road widening was an LGU project when as early as two days after the Dec. 16 typhoon, the LGU had reached out to Meco and offered assistance to expedite clearing works.

The mayor posted copies of her letters on the town’s Facebook page.

Sitoy-Cho first reminded Pagobo of Meco’s commitment to complete power restoration in 15 days through a letter to him on Feb. 14 in which she said it was now “58 days since Dec. 16, 2021 but there is no action taken from your office.”

She attached the letters of her constituents pleading for electricity.

Pagobo replied on Feb. 21, saying Typhoon Odette had damaged at least 60 percent of Meco’s power distribution system, and that its engineers, linemen, contractors and accredited electricians were already working round the clock to restore electricity.

“As of this writing, we have restored 100 percent of our feeders, 100 percent of the major backbones, 100 percent of the lateral lines and approximately 98 percent of our consumers has been restored,” Pagobo wrote.

“The remaining unenergized consumers are individual accounts whose power supplies were not restored during the energization of common transformers due to unsafe wiring installation conditions,” Pagobo explained.

Pagobo also said the mayor “might have misunderstood the discussion” with the governor regarding the timeline of the power restoration.

“We wish to clarify that the 15 days was based on the assumption that the digging equipment can be used along Gabi, Cordova stretch that was amongst the severely affected area(s) and only for the backbone restoration, not for individual connections,” the Meco official said.

‘Vehement effort’

Pagobo said Meco personnel had exerted “vehement effort” and “worked tirelessly day and night” just to expedite power restoration in Cordova.

This explanation did not satisfy the mayor, thus her Feb. 22 letter to Pagobo reminding him of the 15-day deadline.

Sitoy-Cho posted pleas from various constituents for help in power restoration.

On Feb. 14, John Martin Apa-ap of Purok Crossroad, Poso, Poblacion, a graduating student from Cebu Normal University holding a part-time job, wrote the mayor, saying that power had not been restored in his area and it was difficult to study and work without electricity.

His letter was signed by 31 residents, including him.

On Feb. 19, Barangay Cogon Councilor Maximo Sendrijas Jr. asked Sitoy-Cho for help in restoring power in Purok Gemelina, saying an area there known as “Tunaan” was the source of the water supply of the entire barangay, and its submersible water pump, booster pump, and in fact all water pumps that need power had still not returned to operation after Typhoon Odette.

This has forced residents to ask for water from people who have deep well pumps or jetmatic pumps, Sendrijas said.

On Feb. 3, residents of Barangay Gabi, in front of the health center, also sought the mayor’s help for their power restoration.

Typhoon Odette caused a province-wide blackout after it toppled power lines on Cebu island.

Meco serves Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova town on Mactan Island, Cebu.

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