Cotabato Light, city gov’t ink MOA to fight pilferage, fire

The Aboitiz-owned Cotabato Light and Power Company
(Cotabato Light) and the local government of Cotabato formed a project that
will help prevent fire, electric pilferage and to make village officials as
trained and certified electricians.

If successful, the project could become a model in
the entire country, Anna Lea Lee Nataño, Cotabato Light Human Resources and
Reputation Enhancement Head, said of the project dubbed as Tatsulok.

Tatsulok (triangle) refers to three groups that
composed the project – Cotabato Light, Cotabato City government and the Liga
ng mga Barangay (Association of Village chairpersons).

Nataño said Tatsulok aims to address at least
three areas that concern public safety to prevent fire, prevent pilferage and
to improve the firm’s services to its clients.

She said the firm needs the general public through
the village officials in preventing pilferage and promote energy conservation.

Communities and pedestrians are at risk of fire and
electrocution when there are illegal connections, said Nataño after the Nov. 9
signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Cotabato Light Assistant Vice
President and General Manager Judy C. Sanchez, Mayor Frances Cynthia
Guiani-Sayadi and 37 village chairpersons of Cotabato City at SouthSeas Mall
convention center.

Nataño added that electric consumers will benefit
if we have low system loss (which) translates to disposable income to
families.

Electricity pilferage is against the law, Sanchez
said, referring to Republic Act No. 7832 or (An Act Penalizing the pilferage of
electricity and theft of electric power transmission lines/materials, rationalizing
system losses by phasing out pilferage losses).

Countering electricity pilferage is everyone’s
responsibility (and) Cotabato Light cannot do it alone, we need the LGU and
Barangay officials, Sanchez added.

Tatsulok has supporting programs that will benefit
both the program proponent and the beneficiaries.

Under the Kasangga program, the Barangay
government will endorse two potential electricians to be trained by TESDA for
15 days, targeting National Certificate (NC II) licensed after schooling.

Once completed, they will eventually become barangay
electricians, also known sa Kasangga electricians.

The partners or Kasangga will help Cotabato Light
in promoting electrical safety, become anti-pilferage advocates and most all
Kasangga ni Cap sa Barangay.

Another Tatsulok supporting program is Oplan PBA
(Punong Barangay Awards), a Cotabato Light program to recognize Punong Barangay
advocating anti-pilferage in his or her constituents.

To be recipient of Oplan PBA, there must be zero-pilferage
case in his area of jurisdiction and must be consistent for at least six
months.

Cotabato Light will also declare a village
Pilferage-free after choosing the chairperson as Oplan PBA awardee.

Also supporting Tatsulok is Cotabato Light’s BEST
CAP, an acronym for Barangay Electrician Skills Training Competency-building
Anti-pilferage Project.

To avail of this supporting program, the village
chair should be an Oplan PBA awardee to qualify. The village chair has the
privilege to choose from his constituents potential scholars to study with
TESDA as electricians.

Cotabato Light will shoulder the cost, provides
allowance and complete set of tools for the trade.

Added to all these are other community development
projects that the Aboitiz firm will introduce in collaboration with partners.

For her part, Mayor Sayadi posted on her FB page the
city government is determined to continue eradicating illegal acts in the city,
especially pilferage or illegal tapping (of electricity) that causes fire and conflagration.

We signed a MOA with Cotabato Light to help
eradicate pilferage and unnecessary power interruption due to illegal tapping,
Sayadi said in Filipino.

She said under the project, the city government and
the barangay government will help monitor and prevent illegal connections in
their respective locality.

Local officials will report to Cotabato Light any
illegal electrical connection in the barangay, she added. Cotabato Light will
disconnect and penalize violators, Sayadi said. I would like to remind Cotabatenios that like
monetary thief, illegal electrical connections are another form of thief, she
stressed.

Beside, Sayadi said, illegal electrical connections
could trigger fire in residential areas that may result to loss of lives and
properties.

So, let us all help prevent pilferage. Altogether,
we jointly fight all forms of criminality and illegal electric connections in
Cotabato City so we continue to grow and develop as a city, Sayadi said.

The project commenced after the MOA signing. (Edwin O.
Fernandez)