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[av_heading heading=’‘Can city council regulate PECO?’’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Thursday, June 15, 2017
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ILOILO City – Panay Electric Company (PECO) will check the authority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod to require it to put up a meter reading card system that regularly updates people of their power consumption.
The city council has approved an ordinance making such requirement.
PECO counsel Honorato “Hans” Sayno said he will study the content of the ordinance.
The measure has yet to be signed by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and published, he noted.
“Meantime tan-awon naton kon ang unod sang ordinansa is within the authority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod nga mag-regulate [sic],” the lawyer said.
If the city council has the power to make such requirement, PECO will comply.
Otherwise, the power distribution utility will question the ordinance in court, said Sayno.
“Indi man tanan nga components or aspects sang isa ka business can be regulated or governed by the sanggunian,” he said. “For example, ang plete sa Oton (town) obrahon mo lang P5 by way of enacting an ordinance?”
Under the proposed system, PECO must display in a consumer’s house or establishment a card on which the monthly consumption would be indicated every meter reading period.
The city council was recently flooded with complaints from consumers claiming PECO was overcharging them.
Systems of power distribution utilities must have an approval from the Energy Regulation Commission (ERC), Sayno stressed. “Ginatulok anay sang ERC kon ina nga system will be beneficial to the consumers.”
Questioning a possibly illegal ordinance in court is a valid legal remedy, he said. “But kon within man lang sa authority sang sanggunian (to regulate PECO), you have to see to it nga maimplementar ina nga wala sang conflict sa iban nga layi.”
Meanwhile Sayno assured that this development will not affect the smart metering system that PECO is already implementing.
“May approval ina sang ERC,” he said of the existing system. “Amo na guro ang i-harmonize naton in case wala sang diperensya ang [bag-o nga] ordinansa.”
PECO said the “smart meters” of its modern automated metering infrastructure will provide accurate meter reading without manpower involved. It sees them as a “permanent solution” to billing issues.
“All readings are programmed to go directly to the computers of PECO without any actual meter readers needed on the field,” said Mikel Afzelius, corporate communications officer. “This eliminates the human factor in meter reading and customers can fully rely on the accuracy of the billing.”
Smart meters are also tamperproof, he said. “These new meters have sensors inside. If anyone will try to tamper with them, they will automatically shut down and be reported in PECO’s system.”/PN
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