City Hall to shoulder PDEA power debts

The city government will shoulder the unpaid electrical bills of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency following a notice of disconnection that the agency had received from the Visayan Electric Company.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña has approved to settle the PDEA bills with the VECO amounting to P57,602, which covers the months of July to December 2005.

Councilor Augustus Pe Jr., chairman of the City Council committee on drugs, said the amount would be charged to Pagcor funds since the amusement agency's guidelines stated that its "fund shall be utilized in fulfillment for the projects that has to do with the improvement of peace and order."

Earlier, PDEA regional director Amado Marquez and legal counsel Paul Clarence Oaminal went to Pe's office to ask for financial assistance over the agency's mounting power bills.

"They receive a notice of disconnection, which prompted them to ask the city's financial support for fear of future difficulties in carrying out its service operations and objectives," Pe said.

Last month, Osmeña approved to shoulder only the P326,433.05 debt of the Cebu Center for the Ultimate Rehabilitation of Drug Dependents to VECO from April to November 2005. The amount was part of the P1,551,575.92 debt that remained unpaid since July 2003 before current CUREDD chief Pablo Rustico Apolonio assumed office.

Osmeña said his decision to pay the CUREDD power bills was based on the recommendation by Pe, who earlier said he would only lobby for the payment of the P326,433.05 considering that the rest of the P1.5 million debt was accumulated before Apolonio's term.

Operational since 1991, CUREDD is considered the largest drug rehabilitation center in the Visayas, and is currently taking care of more than 3,500 patients. - Garry B. Lao