Power was restored at City Hall and  other areas in Bacolod after the city government and the Central Negros Electric Cooperative arrived at a compromise agreement during a closed-door meeting at the Bishop’s House last night.

The agreement signed by the officials of the city led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia, CENECO led by its president Vicente Sabornay, representatives of the business sector and the Bishop, included several conditions.

“All is well that ends well,” Leonardia said.

 They will just focus on what was agreed on, he said. They were also assured by CENECO that the government center will be energized if the city government submits a copy of the deed of donation of the property it is occupying,  he added.

Sabornay said that, with the intercession of the Bishop, they were able to conclude a very good working compromise. They look toward normal conditions in the city, he said.

Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, chairperson of the Committee on Communications and Energy, said she asked Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra to mediate between the city and CENECO.

The conditions of the agreement include the restoration of power at City Hall and other government offices, and the withdrawal of the closure order and the removal of the padlock at CENECO which was imposed by the city after its power was disconnected by CENECO Thursday.

It also states that CENECO will also accept the payment of the city of P8.6 million with the balance to be settled within 15 days, and the city will issue CENECO business permits for 2008 and 2009, after it has met the requirements for them.

CENECO will pay its franchise taxes and real property taxes due to the city for 2006 within 15 days, and for both parties to continue to resolve all future issues in an amicable and peaceful manner, the conditions also state.

Roel Venus of CENECO said they dispatched their personnel last night to restore power in the affected areas.

BLACK-OUT

Several areas in Bacolod City experienced a black-out early yesterday evening since CENECO claimed that they could not send their personnel because their vehicles were prevented by the City Legal Enforcement Unit from leaving their premises.

But City Legal Officer Allan Zamora said they only closed the business operations of CENECO, not their maintenance department. He said the vehicles of CENECO were not prevented to go out and were even parked outside the CENECO premises.

He said they even granted the request of Enrique Tabino, the in-house counsel of CENECO, to allow their personnel to respond to a complaint in Mansilingan yesterday.  

Permits and Licensing Division head Ardis Jaculina said that after its power was disconnected by CENECO, the city incurred losses amounting to more than P2 million for two days, based on the collection of the City Treasurer’s Office.

P184 MILLION IN TAXES

According to the CTO records, the franchise taxes and real property taxes that CENECO owes the city is about P184 million, she said.

Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said he believes that the implementation of the disconnection, despite that fact that CENECO had been informed of the city’s intention to pay, was done in bad faith.

Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairman of the Committee on Finance and Appropriations, said the payment of the city was ready but they could not wait and implemented the disconnection. “I feel that the move of CENECO is anti-investor because the city is one, if not the biggest consumers of CENECO,” he said.

Espino said if the city gets a direct connection from the National Power Corp., Ceneco will lose one of its biggest clients.

ONLY ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING

Leonardia said they wrote National Electrification Authority yesterday to clarify that they only closed the administrative building of CENECO and not the maintenance and operations department. He said they received information that CENECO wanted to put Bacolod into total black-out. CENECO continued to disconnect more power connections yesterday, including that of the Bays Center and other government offices, he added.

Zamora said CENECO’s board resolution was superceded by the compromise agreement between the city and CENECO.

James Chua, Bacolod Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, yesterday said he was frustrated by the turn of events since both are involved in public service and businesses were affected by their conflict.*CGS

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