Chan told SunStar Cebu Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023 that he will call for a session next week with Meco, National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), and the City Council.
Aside from them, the mayor said, he will also invite the contractor of the ongoing road project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that hit the main electric cable line of NGCP situated at the crossroads of Ouano Ave. and UN Ave. in Mandaue City.
This after Engineer Gilbert Pagobo, senior vice president and general manager of Meco, announced last Tuesday that Meco will increase its rates because of the anticipated increase in power demand during the summer, damage brought to a cable line supplying power to Meco, and the increase by at least 50 percent of Meco’s nodal price because the damaged cable was already considered congested.
“It’s not only now that the cable has been hit. It’s the third time already. What do we do so this does not happen again? Because if this will keep getting hit, Lapu-Lapu’s electricity will always be sacrificed,” Chan said in Cebuano.
The first incident happened with one of their cable lines near the corner of DM Cortes St. and AC Cortes Ave. in 2015, followed by another at the intersection of UN Ave. and DM Cortes in 2019 that took about six months for the lines to be fully repaired.
Rate hike
From the current P12 per kilowatt hour (kWh), Pagobo said the electricity rate could increase by 30 to 50 percent, though the price could still change after Meco’s board members discuss the matter further.
Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Eugene Espedido, who chairs the committee on business and industry, energy and power, said they will ask for a copy of Meco’s petition for a rate increase before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
Espedido said Meco could not impose an increase without approval from the ERC.
“We’ll ask first for a copy of their petition to the ERC. If they give a copy of the petition, that’s better. But if not, the Council might have to request a copy of the petition so it can be analyzed and then validated by the council,” he said.
Pagobo said the cable line supplies power to the entire Lapu-Lapu City and Municipality of Cordova.
He said the power outages may occur for one to two hours per day, possibly at the start of the summer season until the cable is fixed.
Pagobo said malls and hotels will be included in the rotating brownouts. (MKG)
