Countdown begins as 'lights off' imminent in Guimaras town
A special session in Buenavista, Guimaras failed to secure some P600,000 in municipal funds needed to pay the town's overdue electric bill.
As such, representatives from the Guimaras Electric Cooperative (Guimelco) are expected to visit the town hall and disconnect main power connection "anytime, any day." Once it happens, it would mean total darkness for employees of the Buenavista Municipal Government and adjoining government buildings that houses the town police office, fire department and the town jail.
This, The News Today (TNT) learned yesterday (Tuesday) amid the failure of official talks between members of the Executive and the Legislative departments to reach an acceptable compromise on the matter.
Mayor Samuel Gumarin for his part has since sought the approval of the fund release where over P2.7 million in total planned expenditures were stated. The municipal council, majority of whom stands to oppose the mayor, questioned the source of funds where the mayor wants the money to come from.
The week began with yet another round of talks with the electric bill in the center of the discussion. By the end of the day, no clear resolution was reached and the bill remains unpaid.
Guimelco as a matter of procedure and operation officially served the Notice of Disconnection.
"We have a problem in Buenavista not because we do not want to pay our electric bills but because we are questioning the source of funds that the mayor wants to use here," said Councilor Jonayreh Gaitano, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations in an earlier TNT interview. "We believe that the monetization of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) is not the proper source for our electric bill payment. In our previous committee meetings where the mayor was present twice, and in our committee report, we recommended the use of our P7 million surplus for this and the over P3 million that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) certified as available. Why insist on the IRA when we contend such to be highly irregular?"
Gaitano's contention was supported by at least five other municipal councilors.
"Ara na ang request for appropriation pero wala sa gihapon sang source of funds. Daw mautdan gid kami kuryente (The request for appropriation is there but then no source of funds still. We will most likely have our power disconnected)," he said when asked for an update.