Lasureco installs 28,000 electric meters
MARAWI CITY – Energy Assistant Secretary Matanog Mapandi disclosed recently that 28,000 electric watt meters had been installed in the city of Marawi to improve power supply services and revenue collection. He said only 28,000 electric watt meters of the target 40,000 electric watt meters were installed because of the delay in the shipment of materials for the installation of the 69 KV line going to the southern parts Lanao del Sur.
Asec Mapandi, who is the chief of the Task Force Metering and acting general manager of the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Lasureco) said that the target date of completion of the installation of the 40,000 electric watt meters is the month of August, this year. He said after August, the Task Force Metering and the Lasureco Management will submit a report of its accomplishments along its mandates to the Energy Secretary and to President Aquino.
Asec Mapandi said that the Lasureco collects an average of Twelve Million (P12 million) Pesos every month which very far from the required P44 million monthly operating budget of the power company. He said some collections from local government units singing to the tune of hundreds of thousand pesos are missing and have to be recovered. He said without the support and cooperation of the local government units and power consumers, the Lasureco management can not cope up with its obligations to the NPC in terms of payment of power supply and the people in terms of power services. He said out of the 20,000 electric meters installed in Marawi City, 13,000 are legal while 7,000 are illegal, thus adversely affecting the power company’s collections. He said to solve the problem Lasureco management has to cut the power lines and encourage the power consumers to register with Lasureco so they could be installed electric watt meters. He said Madam Adelaida Ditucalan, who is the chief of the Task Force Secretariat is in charge of the registration. He said those who want to have electric lights must see Madam Adelaida Ditucalan to facilitate the registration of the power consumers and enjoy the blessings of electric power.
As to the pacification of disputes between the Lasureco management and the Local government units and power consumers, Asec Mapandi said that no untoward or violent incident has taken place between the two factions since August last year.
It can be recalled that Administrative Order No. 65 created an inter-agency committee to oversee electrification programs, projects and utilities distribution in the Philippines which include the Office of the President, headed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, National Defense Chief Voltaire Gazmin, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, and Secretary Ludwalhati Antonino of the Mindanao Development Authority (MDA).
In a media interview last August 9, 2014, Energy Asec Matanog told members of the Samahan Mga Mamahayag Ng Mindanao (SMM) that the Inter-Agency Committee has organized a task force called Task Force Metering, which he heads as chairman with Col. Glen Macasero of the 103rd Brigade, Philippine Army and Chief Supt. Edgardo Ingking of PNP Camp Crame, as members. He said the main purpose of the Task Force is to resolve the problems of Lasureco, especially the disputes between management and local government units power consumers, the purchase and installation of 40,000 electric watt meters in the franchise area for effective operation and collection.
