BAGUIO CITY– The Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) initially procured around four thousand streetlight fixtures that will be used in the administration and maintenance of the streetlights in the five municipalities of Benguet following the recent signing of separate agreements between the electric cooperative and the local governments to ensure the proper maintenance of the streetlights in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
BENECO board president lawyer Esteban A. Somngi stated that the procured streetlight fixtures will be used to replace, repair and install the streetlights in the areas that will be jointly identified for illumination to help in reducing the crime incidents and sustain the law and order in the said municipalities because of the lack of manpower and resources of the local governments to exercise such function.
Initially, BENECO entered into an agreement with the La Trinidad municipal government headed by Mayor Romeo K. Salda and Vice Mayor Awingan for the repair, replacement and maintenance of the town’ streetlights that will be billed for 12 burning hours while the electric cooperative also entered into similar agreements with Itogon under the leadership of Mayor Victorio Palangdan, Tuba led by Mayor Clarita Sal-ongan, Tublay headed by Mayor Armando Lauro and Kabayan, headed by Mayor Basilio Louie Daoal Jr., for the administration and maintenance of their streetlights that will be billed for 14 burning hours.
The common terms of the agreement is for the local governments to engage the services of BENECO for the administration and maintenance of their unmetered streetlight systems, lighting fixtures, bulbs and photo switches to hasten the delivery of and repair of unmetered streetlights within the said municipalities.
In consideration for the aforesaid task, the local governments agreed to pay BENECO the equivalent of 14 burning hours of electric consumption of the unmetered streetlights based on high pressure sodium wattage reckoned from the date of the execution of the agreement until 2028.
In case the streetlight fixture uses ballast, the wattage to be used shall be the total wattage of the bulb plus the wattage of the ballast and the computation of burning hours and the number of unmetered streetlights to be billed will be based on the actual result of the inventory to be conducted between the parties or the last data of the electric cooperative until such time that the inventory has been completed.
Under the agreement, the local governments are required to create their respective inspection committees from their ranks that will coordinate with BENECO for the inventory of unmetered streetlights to be maintained, to be repaired or replaced, including new unmetered streetlights to be installed.
Further, it shall be the responsibility of the local governments to identify the public places that shall be illuminated based on the existing inventory.
On the other hand, BENECO shall be responsible for the administration and maintenance of the existing and those to be installed in the future unmetered streetlight systems, lighting fixtures, bulbs and photo switches, including the repair of the same within the jurisdiction of the municipalities.
Moreover, the cost of the maintenance and repair shall be at the cost of the electric cooperative subject to the agreed burning hours.
BENECO shall have the option to replace the installed high pressure sodium streetlights with Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures at any time during the lifetime of the contracts.
For the fixtures that will be replaced with LED, the agreements stated that the billing will still be based on the original installed bulbs and that it will extend discount on the power bill of the local governments upon full recover of the investment cost for the fixtures.
Both parties shall meet and agree on the mechanics of replacing the high pressure sodium fixtures with LED bulbs and a separate agreement shall be entered into by the parties on the use of LED lights before commencing the replacement of LED lights, it shall inform the local governments on the same. By HENT
