Cebu City government intervenes in condo electricity issue

CEBU, Philippines — The installation of individual line meters was seen as the resolution to address the issue in three condominiums in Cebu City, which homeowners had sought the help of the city government after their electricity was cut off due to the developer's alleged failure to pay millions of pesos in outstanding electric bills.

At least 30 homeowners from the San Marino, Corinthians, and Royal Garden condominiums met with Cebu City Mayor Raymond Garcia on February 25, 2025, to voice their grievances against their management and developer. The power outage had affected the entire buildings, despite most homeowners reportedly having paid their bills on time.

During their meeting with Garcia, the homeowners revealed that they pay their electrical bills to the developer of the condominium, Landtraders World Properties Corporation. It was during the same meeting that it was discovered these condominiums share a single electric meter with a single-billing scheme but have different submeters to measure their bills.

On the same day yesterday, Garcia directed the Office of the Building Official (OBO) to investigate the status of the disputed condominiums and check their compliance with the necessary permits required by the Cebu City Government.

For San Marino Condominium, their representative stated that the developer allegedly failed to pay an electricity bill of P3.1 million. For Corinthians, it was reported that their outstanding balance is approximately P900,000.

It was said that in San Marino Residences, over 392 units were affected by the power disruption, while around 270 units were impacted in Corinthians Residences.

During the press conference following the meeting, Garcia said they were able to come up with a solution: installing individual line meters directly to Visayan Electric instead of maintaining a single meter for the entire building.

Garcia also shared that he appealed with representatives of Visayan Electric to reconnect the condominiums’ power line pending the solution to individually attach the submeters for different billing responsibilities, rather than affecting the entire building.

Engineer Juan Miguel Exaltacion, Revenue Management Head of Visayan Electric, said that their protocol includes a grace period for delinquent payers such as these condominiums.

“Nalipay nalang kaayo ko, then ni cooperate pag ayo ang VECO, mao ng nagpasalamat gyud ko pag ayo sa VECO, they are really our partners in the City of Cebu,” said Garcia.

In light of what happened, Garcia mentioned that he has yet to assess whether the developer will have any liabilities, adding that he will first need to see the results of the investigation being conducted by OBO. He also disclosed that he was set to meet with the condominium developer yesterday.

During the meeting with the homeowners, Garcia mentioned that other internal concerns, such as security and garbage management, were also brought up. He added that although these condominiums are private entities, the welfare of the affected homeowners falls under the responsibility of the Cebu City Government.

“The public welfare is already involved here, that’s why I have to step into the picture,” said Garcia.

Garcia further appealed to developers around the city to look into such concerns, emphasizing that lives are at stake.

“It doesn’t anymore involve just your company; it involves the entire city of Cebu, and as Mayor of the city of Cebu, I have to step in,” said Garcia.

He further stated that he would not hesitate to exercise “police powers” if it is found that the buildings have violated the building code.

In a statement released to the media, Landtraders World Properties Corporation acknowledged the “inconvenience” caused by the recent power outage that affected their turned-over projects. It said that from the onset of the pandemic to the challenges posed by Typhoon Odette and up to this day, the company has remained committed to supporting its turned-over condominium.

But they stressed that since the projects have been turned over to the Condominium Corporation, which consists of all unit owners in each building, they clarified that as a developer, Landtraders World Properties Corporation is a separate entity and is not involved in the management or operational decisions of these buildings.

“Landtraders World Properties Corporation went the extra mile by advancing payments for the developers' bills of its unsold units. This assistance was provided to ensure uninterrupted operational services. However, as much as we want to continue offering this level of support, our diminishing inventory limits our ability to sustain these advances,” their statement reads.

They further stated that they have done their part in carrying the burden to ensure that “daily operations continued smoothly.” They added that it is high time for the community to take on the “responsibility it rightfully owns,” emphasizing that their key responsibility is ensuring the timely payment of monthly dues and utility bills.

“When everyone fulfills this obligation, the entire community benefits from uninterrupted services and continuous improvements. However, if many fall behind, even the most diligent payers will feel the impact. Your contributions keep the lights on, the water running, and the community thriving,” they concluded. — Mitchelle Palaubsanon and Rowena Capistrano (FREEMAN)