INQUIRER Global Nation

THE mayors of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue said they would not use the decorative lampposts installed during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit last year although the Department of Public Works and Highways already settled some of its unpaid electric bills with the Visayan Electric Company (Veco).

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes both said they will not switch on the lampposts.

Veco cut off power to the lampposts last year after the electric bills piled up and remained unpaid.

Osmeña said he is not eager to use the lampposts because of its inadequate lighting capacity and high electric cost.

He said a single lamp could not light that much but is very costly.

“We are not even sure if these are still operational,” said Osmeña referring to some lampposts which have busted bulbs and stolen wires.

Cortes, for his part, said he would wait for the lampposts to be turned over to the Mandaue City government and the clearance from the Visayas Ombudsman, who is conducting the investigation on the alleged overpricing of the lampposts.

Once the lampposts are formally owned by the city, Cortes said he plans to distribute them to the barangays. As to how, he did not elaborate. /Reporters Dale Israel and Marian Codilla