City Council eases process, rules for power connection

By Jordan Habbiling 

 

BAGUIO CITY -- The Baguio City Council recently enacted an ordinance that will simplify the process for obtaining Certificates of Final Electrical Inspection (CFEI) or Certificates of Electrical Inspection (CEI) by the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO), making it easier for Baguio residents to connect to the electrical grid.

By reducing bureaucratic hurdles and simplifying document requirements, the ordinance seeks to ensure more households can access electricity which is essential for modern living standards.

Through this initiative, the city is able to help its residents get access to reliable electricity, thus uplifting their standard of living.

The ordinance cited data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Cordillera which indicated many households in the city still lack electricity service connections and still rely on gas lamps and candles for lighting.

The simplified process applies exclusively to residents of Baguio City occupying residential dwellings subject to investigation by the CBAO.

On the other hand, structures with active demolition orders, located within waterways, or declared high-risk areas by government agencies are disqualified.

Requirements include an electrical plan compliant with the Philippine Electrical Code; proof of ownership such as deed of sale, waivers, tax declaration, or authorization from the registered/declared building owner; certificate of non-tax delinquency; barangay certification.

Additional documents, if applying through a representative, are the following: original notarized letter of authorization or Special Power of Attorney; photocopy of the notarized contract of lease/agreement (if applicable); or photocopy of any document showing proof of relationship of the representative to the principal owner such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, or death certificates.

The above requirements may apply to structures under the purview of Torrens title system and the National Building Code of the Philippines.

Applications for electrical connections must be filed with the CBAO which will then be evaluated by the CBAO for completeness and compliance with the Philippine Electrical Code. The applicant pays the recommended fee, receives an official receipt, and submits it to the CBAO for review and approval. Applications must be processed by a qualified Professional Electrical Engineer (PEE), or Registered Electrical Engineer (REE), or RME (Registered Master Electrician), or other electrical practitioners duly accredited by the Benguet Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BENECO) and the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (IIEE), Baguio-Benguet Chapter or the applicant.

In cases of fraud or non-disclosure of relevant information, the affected party will be required to voluntarily remove and surrender their electrical service connections.

The ordinance has been transmitted to the City Mayor’s Office to be signed by Mayor Benjamin Magalong before its implementation.

 

 

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Beneco rates down Jan. due to less power cost

By Laarni S. Ilagan

 

BAGUIO CITY -- The Benguet Electric Cooperative started 2025 with a lower cost of electricity for its consumers compared the December last year.

     Beneco’s January rate of P10.7718 per kilowatt hour (kWh) is lesser by P0.2025 compared to last month’s rate of P10.9743/kwh.

    A household that will consume 100 kWh will thus pay P 1,077.18 for the month. Fraiser Angayen, non-network services department manager, said the lower rates was caused by the reduction of the power cost that Beneco purchased from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

    The power purchased from WESM represents 12.09% of Beneco’s total power requirement as the bulk of the power supply, which is 87.37% , comes from the Limay Power Inc. (LPI).

    The LPI is the electric cooperative’s major power suppler while the WESM is the country’s spot market for power supply.

    “The decrease in coal price in the global market had a bigger impact in our generation rate, despite the noted increase in foreign exchange (FOREX) rate,” Angayen said.

    Beneco purchased most of its power supply from LPI through its one-year Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA) with the San Miguel affiliate.

    The cost of power purchased from WESM and LPI compose the blended generation rate of Beneco that is passed on to consumers every month as generation cost.

    “Had we bought all our power supply from the WESM, our generation rate could have been less than P4.00 per kWh since the spot market prices were low for the period,” Melchor Licoben, general manager said, noting buying all power requirements from the WESM would not be possible in view of the EPSA with LPI.

    Licoben added: “Ideally, bilateral contracts are better to ensure a continuous and stable supply of electricity.     The prices this month at WESM could be cheaper but in the long run, the prices could increase. WESM is a volatile market that cannot guarantee a stable power supply. Relying on the WESM as a source of power supply will be risky. WESM is there to stabilize supply whenever there are imbalances in the grid. But we are not sure of the power cost.”

 

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