City called out for ‘excessive’ power use

THE “seemingly excessive” use of Christmas lights even after the holiday season, along with additional, unnecessary street lights on some streets, which have contributed to the jump in Cebu City Hall’s electric bill, has been flagged by state auditors.

Based on the latest Commission on Audit (COA) report, 4.17 percent of City Hall’s total income in 2023 was used to pay its electric bill amounting to over P289 million for the entire year.

The COA noted that the City has not established an Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EEC) Office, nor designated a local EEC officer. It also said the City has yet to develop a clear EEC plan, which is required under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act of the Philippines.

The non-establishment of an EEC resulted in huge electricity expenditures, deficiency in energy conservation measures and unimplemented energy efficiency projects totaling P65 million, state auditors said.

The COA added that without an EEC plan, the City Government will have no clear direction on how it will improve, control, monitor and evaluate its energy consumption.

The City Government’s electricity bills have gone up steadily for the past six years.

In 2018, the City’s electricity bill was P205,296,114; P220,361,444 in 2019; P214,759,016 in 2020; P242,991,403 in 2021; P271,142,680 in 2022; and P289,494,388 in 2023.

COA said the increase in electricity rate may be partly to blame, although its effect may oftentimes be minimal as power utilities are subject to strict government regulation, thus, the significant increase each year cannot be attributed to the price factor.

Addressing the problem

The City initially tried to control its energy use.

The Department of General Services posted in every office and department in City Hall the directive to regulate the use of energy, including restricting water dispensers to two units per floor; limiting use of air-conditioners from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. only; deploying printers at a ratio of one printer to at least three employees; prohibiting the use of cooking appliances like rice cooker, electric stove, water heater, coffeemakers and microwave; prohibiting Christmas lights, variable lights or any decorative materials using electricity; and unplugging office equipment or appliances when not in use or before leaving the office.

But state auditors said this directive lacked enforcement and did not have the necessary parameters to ensure compliance.

State auditors particularly pointed out the excessive use of Christmas lights, variable lights, or any decorative materials using electricity.

“Even after the Christmas season or outside the usual tourism hour of the downtown city, the City Hall building’s exterior, both the executive and the legislative building, including its newly occupied satellite office were wrapped with series lights every night,” said state auditors.

The COA said there were also visible “unnecessary or extra lights” on some streets like T. Padilla or on streets in Barangay Lorega San Miguel though the existing lamp posts already serve their purpose.

“These excessiveness ran counter with the City’s own directive and ultimately with the aforementioned Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act resulting in a waste of financial resources,” the COA noted.

Unimplemented projects

The City has four unimplemented projects, including the installation of a solar system with an appropriated budget of P50 million, the solar energy electrification of a school building in Barangay Lorega amounting to P3 million, the installation of solar panels as alternative source of power in San Roque and T. Padilla with a budget of P10 million and P2 million, respectively.

The COA pointed out that the City’s energy efficiency and conservation projects don’t appear to be a priority both in budget dimension and terms of implementation.

State auditors said the projects have the potential to significantly reduce the City’s electricity consumption.

It also said that this not only reflected in a missed opportunity to enhance energy efficiency with corresponding positive financial implication but also raised concerns regarding the effective utilization of allocated resources.

The COA recommended that the City establish an EEC office to be handled by a properly designated EEC officer.

The City is also enjoined to enhance its existing energy conservation measures by translating the directive into a formal management policy with effective enforcement and compliance mechanisms.

State auditors also asked the City to implement austerity measures in electricity consumption by controlling the excessive use of series lights and variable lights, especially those without clear and significant purpose.

They also urged the City to take proactive steps to expedite progress by establishing a clear timeline for execution.

SunStar Cebu sought the comment of the city officials regarding these findings, but to no avail. / JJL