Lobregat tackles power crisis with barangay sector
After resolving issues concerning power crisis in vital installations last week, Mayor Celso Lobregat will tackle the effects of the aggravating power situation in the barangays in a meeting with village chiefs today.
Mayor Lobregat together with members of the City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC) will convene officials from the 98 barangays this morning at the City Health Office Conference room to discuss measures to mitigate the power crisis based on the Malacanang executive order placing the entire Mindanao area under a state of calamity.
The mayor said the meeting will discuss measures on how to cushion the effects of the power crisis in the barangays and matters concerning the use of barangay calamity funds in a bid to prevent misuse of the same.
The Malacanang order, issued by President Gloria Arroyo Friday, March 12, 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.
“The City Disaster Coordinating Council meet tomorrow (today, March 16) together with the barangay chairmen so that before they will start using the calamity funds they will be following the budgeting, accounting and auditing rules. We do not want a misuse of the calamity fund”, the mayor said.
Last Friday afternoon, Mayor Lobregat convened the CDCC to tackle solutions based on the Malacanang declaration. The Council approved 8 resolutions aimed to relieve Zamboanguenos from the effects of the power crisis.
The CDCC approved the use of the city’s calamity funds for the purchase of generating sets for vital institutions and to extend cloud seeding operations to help boost rainfall.
Aside from allowing the use of the city’s calamity funds, 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 the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative.
To help boost rainfall, the CDCC approved to appropriate P2.7 million out of the calamity funds for a 30-day extension of the cloud seeding operations being undertaken at present by the Department of Agriculture. Numerous cloud seeding sorties have been conducted by the DA, through Lobregat’s request, since March 7and rains fell in the far flung barangays such as Bungiao, Tolosa, Latap, La Paz and Vitali areas.
The CDCC believed that extending the cloud seeding operations would help induce rain and eventually help improve water levels in reservoirs and help farmers.
Other equally important measures approved by the Lobregat-led CDCC were the purchase of a 24 horse power generator set for the City Reformatory Center; purchase of a 12 KVA generator set for the City Fire Station; purchase of 10 units of 5.5 KVA generator sets for Vitali Lying in Clinic, Ayala Lying in Clinic, City agriculturist Office, Division of City Schools, General Services Office and other important agencies and the request for Zamcelco together with the City Engineer’s Office, General Services Office and the Commission on Audit to determine the generator set capacity needed in the Pettit Barracks area to ensure continuous power supply to the offices under City Health, City Social Welfare, Housing and Land Management Division, Civil Registrar and part of the City Treasurer’s office.
Zamcelco together with the CEO, GSO and COA are also tasked to make a study and determine the generator capacity needed for the City Police office and the Task Force Zamboanga command.
Emergency lights will also be purchased for the use of police and Task Force Zamboanga personnel. (Sheila Covarrubias)