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[av_heading heading=’Leonardia, Ceneco GM differ over ‘offsetting’ bills’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
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BACOLOD City – Mayor EvelioLeonardia wants the franchise taxes the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) is supposed to pay the city government to offset the latter’s electricity bills.
But Ceneco general manager SulpicioLagarde Jr. stressed this scheme will not work.
The city government owes CenecoP271.8 million in bills covering several periods between January 2003 and July 2016.
Leonardia stressed the issue “has preceded” his term.
He believes the franchise tax Ceneco must pay the city “is substantial enough to offset our (electricity) bills.”
But the taxes Bacolod City will collect do not go solely to the local government; a part of it goes to the national government, Lagarde said.
As for Ceneco, of the P9 perkilowatt-hourit charges the consumers, only 70 centavos goes to the cooperative, while the rest are used to power suppliers and other taxes, the general manager explained.
If Cenecooffsets the bills, “how can we pay the Bureau of Internal Revenue and our power suppliers?” asked Lagarde.
Leonardia stressed there has not been an “accounting of the real score.”
“I asked our engineers and finance people to check this and make an honest-to-goodness check on the expenses and if there are illegal connections … particularly in markets and schools,” said the mayor.
City hall spends around P6 million a month — or around P72 million a year — for electricity, Leonardia noted. “We need to save.”
Barangay and tourism streetlights, as well as government offices make up for much of the city government’s electricity consumption, Ceneco said./PN
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