TAGUM CITY — A major transition in the power distribution landscape of Tagum City and parts of Davao del Norte officially began after Sheriff IV Leobert Ticar of RTC Tagum Branch 2 officially served the Supplemental Writ of Possession on Monday, May 25, 2026, authorizing the takeover of operations by Davao Light and Power Company (Davao Light).
The implementation of the writ was witnessed by Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy, Davao Light President and COO Enriczar Tia, and members of the Davao Light Board.
Beginning May 26, 2026, Davao Light officially assumes the operation, maintenance, billing, collection, emergency response, and customer service functions previously handled by the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (Nordeco) in Tagum City.
Tagum City officials and Davao Light management emphasized that all electricity bills covering power consumption beginning May 26, 2026, onwards must already be paid to Davao Light.
Davao Light confirmed that starting May 26, it officially took over the billing and collection operations in Tagum City and the nearby areas covered by the transition.
“Sugod karon, mag-start na ang full service ni Davao Light,” Tia announced. “Sugod sa operation, maintenance, supervision, emergency response, customer service — tanan.”
(“Starting now, Davao Light’s full services will begin — from operations, maintenance, supervision, emergency response, to customer service, everything.”)
“May 26 actually, gikan ana nga adlaw, ang Davao Light na ang naay katungod sa billing and collection,” Tia added.
(Starting May 26, Davao Light already has the authority over billing and collection.)
The court action follows Republic Act No. 12144, the law expanding the franchise area of Davao Light into parts of Davao del Norte, including Tagum City.
Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy described the transition as a victory for consumers and local development.
“Give the business to the business. Di nato na kaya sa gobyerno,” Uy said.
(Give the business to the business sector. This is not something the government can effectively handle.)
“Kita man ninyo unsay serbisyo sa Nordeco. Mahal. Ang mga tao, didto gyud sa barato,” he said.
(You have seen Nordeco’s kind of service. It is expensive. Naturally, the people will choose the cheaper option.)
The mayor emphasized that Tagum City stands to benefit financially and operationally under Davao Light’s management.
“Additional income sa city,” the mayor said. “Franchise fee, dili ipatong sa bill sa kuryente nga bayranan sa consumers. Mubarato ra atong kuryente,” the mayor stressed.
(This will mean additional income for the city. The franchise fee will not be added to consumers’ electricity bills. Electricity rates will become cheaper.)
Uy also criticized Nordeco’s long-standing system requiring consumers and businesses to provide and maintain their own transformers.
“Ang Davao Light, gikan poste, transformer, hantod metrohan, ilaha. Sa Nordeco, imoha tanan,” he explained.
(With Davao Light, from the electric post, transformer, up to the meter, everything is theirs to provide and maintain. Under Nordeco, all of that becomes the consumer’s responsibility.)
The mayor likewise welcomed Davao Light’s commitment to improving street lighting, reducing outages, and establishing backup lines to restore electricity within minutes during interruptions.
“Welcome, Davao Light to Tagum City,” Uy declared.
“To tell you consumers, isa ko sa mga mag-monitor sa ilang mga gipang-promise nato,” he vowed.
(To tell you, consumers, I will be among those who will monitor the promises they made to us.)
Tia, however, acknowledged that rehabilitation efforts would take time due to aging infrastructure inherited from the previous system.
“Daghan ta’g nakita nga deficiencies. Naay mga areas nga loaded na kaayo, need na i-upgrade, mga substations medyo karaan na,” he said
(We have seen many deficiencies. Some areas are already overloaded and need upgrading, while several substations are already outdated.)
Residents also expressed optimism over the transition and the expected improvement in power services.
“Nalipay mi kay finally, naa nay tarong nga kuryente ang Tagum and hopefully, mas mahimong better ang electricity services na among ma-receive from Davao Light,” a resident, who was at the sideline during the event, shared.
(We are happy because finally, Tagum now has reliable electricity, and hopefully, the electricity services we will receive from Davao Light will become even better.)
Meanwhile, Tagum City has formally requested Nordeco to refund approximately ₱18 million in power bill deposits.
“This is our money,” Uy stressed. “And this should be returned.”
Davao Light-Davao del Norte Head Manager Arnel Bersabe clarified that issues involving Nordeco's compensation and liabilities remain subject to court-supervised legal proceedings.
“Part sa just compensation, gipangayo pud sa korte ang listahan sa tanang entities nga naay utang si Nordeco. It’s a legal process,” Bersabe explained.
(That’s part of the just compensation process. The court also required a list of all entities to whom Nordeco has obligations. It is part of the legal process.”)
The transition marks one of the most significant developments in the province’s utility sector in recent years, with city officials framing the move as part of Tagum’s push toward becoming a more business-friendly and infrastructure-ready urban center.
Uy also floated the possibility of future underground cabling projects similar to those implemented in Davao City.
“Maybe in time. Pwede pud mu-share ang city sa gasto anang underground cabling,” he said.
(Perhaps in the future, the city can also share in the cost of underground cabling projects.)
Nordeco, for its part, released an official statement confirming that it had received notices from the Supreme Court regarding the consolidation of cases questioning the constitutionality of R.A. No. 12144 and petitions seeking injunctions against the writs of possession.
“Nordeco will STILL AND CONTINUE TO OPERATE pending the resolutions it filed before the SC,” the electric cooperative stated, adding that its franchise “is still valid up to October 2028.”
Despite the legal challenge, the RTC-issued Supplemental Writ of Possession was enforced in Tagum on May 25. ACA
