Town faces sustained power outages over supplier’s unpaid bills

PANTANABAGAN, Nueva Ecija: Due to the unpaid electric bills of the local power supplier here, townsfolk face a long-term power outage during the sizzling summer months.

Electricity here was cut during the first week of March and remains to be so at present.

First Gen Hydro Power Corp. (FGHPC), which owns and operate the 132-megawatt PantanabaganMasiway hydroelectric complex, cited that the Pantanabagan Municipal Electric Sercives (PAMES) failed to pay its power bills.

The said liabilities include a P1-million unpaid bills for January which PAMES earlier committed to pay.

Because of the power supplier’s failure to settle its obligations with FGHPC, Pantanabagan and the neighboring Castañeda town face long-term power outages.

Electricity in Pantanabagan was first cut by FGHPC in July last year due to the failure of PAMES to pay around P80 million under a debt restructuring agreement with the power generator.

Power was restored only in August after a series of negotiations between FGHCP officers and local government officials including the late Interior secretary Jesse Robredo.

However, FGHPC again cut the power supply to the town on account of the unpaid bills of PAMES covering July to December last year amounting to P4 million. Electricity was restored only after two days following another series of negotiations.

PAMES is controlled and operate by the municipal government of Pantanabagan.

Businessman Ben Reyes, a retired colonel, expressed fears that establishments in the town might not survive if the problem would not be resolved soon.

He appealed to concerned government agencies to help restore electric supply in the town.

The businessman added that townsfolk also face a shortage of water supply.

“While we have a dam nearby, we have a shortage of water supply from the local water system which supplies every household in the town,” Reyes said. CHRIS SANSANO