Barangay chieftains ok entry of gen set investors
Mayor Celso Lobregat tackles with barangay chairmen, the use of calamity funds to mitigate the power crisis during a meeting of the City Disaster Coordinating Council Tuesday at the City Health Office Conference room. City Police OIC Director Col. Edwin de Ocampo listens intently. (JOEY BAUTISTA)
Barangay officials yesterday expressed support to the move to allow private investors to set up modular power generating sets to Zamboanga City to help ease the power shortage.
In a meeting presided over by Mayor Celso Lobregat and attended by members of the City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC), the barangay chairmen approved a resolution encouraging the entry of the power investors with negotiations to be undertaken by the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (ZAMCELCO).
The other day, the CDCC also resolved to support and encourage the entry of private investors to install generators for additional power capacity, negotiations of which to be undertaken by ZAMCELCO.
Yesterday, Mayor Lobregat and the CDCC convened village chiefs from the city’s 98 barangays to tackle mitigating measures as well as issues concerning the use of barangay calamity funds to ease the effects of the power crisis.
Mayor Lobregat, who chairs the CDCC, explained that the investors are willing to operate a 30-megawatt generator to augment the present 44MW being supplied to the city by the National Grid Corporation (NGC) through the ZAMCELCO.
Lobregat said the city’s peak demand is 85mw, of which only 44mw is currently being supplied by NGC, thus a shortfall of about 41mw, due to the hydro plants’ incapacity to generate the needed electricity for the entire Mindanao as a result of the El Niño weather phenomenon. The situation has prompted Zamcelco to impose rotating blackouts in 23 feeders.
ZAMCELCO under general manager Rey Ramos together with the business sector and other groups was expected to meet with private investors proposing the setting up of modular generator sets in the city.
“This is the situation which we hope to address in the coming days. We invited you, to inform you about the issues and concerns arising from this situation,” Lobregat told the barangay captains present at the CDCC meeting, adding that members of the local disaster council had so far met three times since the president issued Proclamation 2022 last Thursday, placing the entire Mindanao under a state of calamity.
An immediate solution to the rotating blackouts, according to the chief executive, is to invite independent power producers to invest in the city.
The mayor during the meeting yesterday also invited the representative from the Commission on Audit to explain to the barangay officials the appropriate manner in spending calamity funds. “We not want a misuse of the calamity fund”.
The COA representative discussed about budgeting, accounting and auditing rules in connection with the use of calamity funds.
Meanwhile, the body also yesterday approved to allocate portion of the city’s calamity funds for the purchase of handheld radios for distribution to the different fire sub-stations.
It has been noted that because of the dry spell, fire incidents have become rampant in the different barangays. The availability of communication sets would ensure swift response to fire calls.
The CDCC last Friday approved at least 8 resolutions aimed to ease Zamboanguenos from the effects of the power crisis which is brought about by the dry spell El Nino. The measures approved were based on the Malacanang order placing the entire Mindanao under a state of calamity.
The declaration allows the national and local governments to access calamity funds and quickly procure generators as well as undertake other measures to ease the power shortage. (Vic Larato/Sheila Covarrubias)