Mayor reconsiders BENECO offer to manage streetlights

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan has decided to reconsider the long standing offer of the Benguet Electric Coop. to manage the city’s unmetered streetlights and assured that he will recommend the scheme to the city council

What merited his reconsideration according to the mayor was the latest figure presented during his meeting with the Benecotechnical working group and city executives last Wednesday which showed that the cost of Beneco’soffer based on a 12-hour burning hour billing appears to be lower than the expense that the city is incurring in maintaining these facilities on its own.

With the mayor during the meeting were city engineer Leo Bernardez, city budget officer Leticia Clemente and city accountant Antonio Tabin.

“I will favorably recommend the matter to the city council and it will be up to the body’s decision,” the mayor said.

However, he said he made it clear with Benecothat even if approved by the council, its management will remain on a temporary basis to give way for the city’s future plan to pursue other ventures on improving its lighting system.

This would include the plan to enter into a lighting deal with a qualified company using the Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology.

Said plan is still on the drawing board with the city expected to come up with the terms of reference to bid out the project.

The mayor said two companies have reiterated their interest to participate in the bidding process which he said he hopes to pursue not later than this November.

The mayor said the city’s plan seemed acceptable to Beneco.

The power firm in 2009 offered to take over the operation of the streetlights from the city engineer’s office and even conducted an experimental management run for nine months to prove the advantages of their set-up.

The experiment showed that Beneco’s management was more advantageous but the city council and the local finance committee then balked at its permanent take-over due to the added cost it will entail due to the adjustment of the billing system from the original ten to 12 burning hours which city officials then saw as prohibitive for the city.

The mayor however remained open to the scheme because of the city’s difficulty in maintaining the facilities causing delays in the replacement of damaged fixtures.

Councilor Joel Alangsab also attested that 95 percent of the barangay captains expressed preference for the power firm’s management as it was more efficient and effective as promised by the power firm.

Beneco, in its offer, promised that under its management, the problems presently encountered by the residents particularly the delayed replacement of damaged fixtures and inconsistent switch on and off schedules leading to power wastage will be eradicated.