ILOILO City – The House of Representatives will conduct an investigation on the series of pole fires in this city. These fires are endangering the lives of city residents, according to Cong. Julienne Baronda, and the Department of Energy (DOE) and Panay Electric Co. (PECO) have a lot of explaining to do.
Between Oct. 19 to 21 alone, according to Baronda, nine pole fires were reported.
But pole fire data that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) recently submitted to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) was more damning, she said.
From January 2014 to October 29, 2019, BFP recorded a total of 2,887 fire incidents in Iloilo City and of these, 1,464 were pole fires.
The House Committee on Energy will spearhead the congressional inquiry; the date is yet to be set though.
“DOE and PECO owe the public an explanation,” said the neophyte congresswoman. “If their explanations are wanting, we will exercise the congressional oversight power of the House Committee on Energy.”
Baronda revealed she had actually written DOE seeking an explanation for the pole fires. She wanted to be clarified how safe the electricity posts in the city were.
The congresswoman also urged ERC chief Agnes Devanadera to support the House probe.
She then commended the city government of Iloilo for proactively addressing the problem on pole fires. Mayor Jerry Treñas recently sought the help of ERC and Malacañang. The ERC immediately commenced an investigation.
The commission is expected to release the result of its probe anytime soon.
An average of 28 pole fires take place in Iloilo City every month, or almost 300 incidents every year, according to the BFP.
“Only electricity wires, either damaged or overloaded, can cause fire, not telephone or cable television wires,” BFP told ERC during a recent hearing.
Under ERC Resolution No. 5, Series of 2008, any power distribution utility granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to operate a distribution system in any area must comply with standards set under the Philippine Distribution Code, especially those that concern public safety.
PECO is operating in the city only by virtue of a CPCN. Its franchise expired on Jan. 19, 2019 yet.
CITY REFUSES PECO TAX PAYMENT OFFER
In
a related development, the City Treasurer’s Office rejected the offer of PECO
to settle its P97-million realty tax obligation in two tranches in two years as
long as the city government waives all penalties and fees.
Iloilo City Treasurer Jinny Hermano said he could not recommend to Mayor Treñas to agree to such arrangement as it would mean losing P38 million in penalties.
PECO had not settled its real estate tax to the city government since 2006.
Hermano said the
Dec. 12 auction of PECO’s power distribution assets, including its 30,000 aged
electricity poles and the land where they stand on, would proceed as approved
by Treñas.
PECO would only be able to cancel the auction if it pays the P106.8 million
floor price set by the city government for the auction, said Hermano.
The P106.8 million covers the P97 million real estate tax arrears, documentary stamp tax and the registration fees, the city treasurer added.
“Due to the nonpayment of taxes, the business permits of PECO have not been issued by the Business Permits and Licensing Office and when I came in (as city mayor) I discovered (the details) about it. We gave PECO time because they told our lawyers they were going to make an offer. But the offer was not acceptable so the City Treasurer proceeded with the (option of) auction sale,” Treñas said when he announced the auction last week.
The total market value of PECO’s posts and the land where they stand on is estimated at P214.9 million, according to the City Treasurer’s Office’s Tax Enforcement Division chief John Ladrillo.
Ladrillo said the
P106.8-million floor price was computed based on PECO’s total tax liability
since 2006 amounting to P97,164,438.81, the cost of the sale including
documentary stamp tax estimated at P9,716,443. 88 and a registration fee of
P802.64.
He said the Dec. 12 auction is open to everyone./PN
