Fear descends on Abra as firm cuts off power

BAGUIO CITY—Many households in Abra counted down the minutes to 12:04 p.m. on Thursday when all lights went out—possibly for much longer than usual in the far-flung Cordillera province.

The Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc. (Apri) has terminated its supply contract with the Abra Electric Cooperative (Abreco) because of debts that date back to the start of their contract in January 2012, despite a repayment scheme that remains unfulfilled, said Ria Calleja, Aboitiz Power assistant vice president for corporate branding and communication.

Pura Sumangil, a member of the Abra provincial crisis committee, said the towns are prepared for the fallout to Abreco’s apparent problems with management and financing, stocking up on batteries and gasoline for generators to keep vital facilities like hospitals working.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has been keeping tabs on Abra’s electricity problems in light of their possible impact on the May midterm elections.

Chief Superintendent Benjamin Magalong, Cordillera police director, who is in Abra, said Abra authorities are also studying if Comelec can intervene now that the election season has officially started.

Sumangil said the province’s primary task is to find a new electricity supplier for Abreco, but Abra consumers have also launched a new signature campaign to compel the cooperative to hold a general assembly and discuss a management change.

Abreco consumers tried a similar campaign late last year, when Apri also issued a disconnection notice on Dec. 27 due to unpaid bills, but the cooperative refused citing a technicality, Sumangil said. Last year’s brownout was postponed when an Abra official lent Abreco money to pay some of the debts.

In a text message, Calleja said: “The termination letter was served on Jan. 10 effective immediately, and disconnection is scheduled on Jan. 24. As of Jan. 22, their total obligations to Apri is about P24 million, including past due billings and their January consumption, on top of the required P32 million security deposit that was due in December 2011 but was not posted.”

Apri, which operates the Tiwi-Makban geothermal power plants in Batangas, Laguna and Albay, supplies the power needs of Abreco, which serves the whole Abra.

When asked, Calleja said the contract termination left no room for another set of negotiations.

Magalong said the police have been mobilized to ease tension in towns where gun violence is expected to rise during the election period.

On Jan. 12, before the 2013 election gun ban was imposed, Abra officials and political clans allowed Magalong and his men to temporarily sequester their weapons or to seal their barrels with tape as a measure to discourage violence there.

Sumangil, founder of the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance, said securing these firearms has become one of the most important tasks of the government because of the province-wide blackout.

“People are fearful,” she said in a telephone call from the capital town of Bangued, moments before Apri shut down power. Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon