Mandaue residents get ‘disturbance fees’ from NGCP

Local

FAMILIES in Barangay Tabok, Mandaue City received compensaiton after they were affected by the transmission project of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

Nineteen homeowners received P31,000 each in disturbance fees from NGCP on Thursday, Aug. 20, in addition to payment for housing materials that will be affected by the construction of the Cebu-Lapu-Lapu 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line project.

Ramelito Inopiquez, executive assistant of the Mandaue City Housing and Urban Development Office (HUDO), said the city requested the disturbance fees under the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) particularly Article 7, Section 28.

It provides for disturbance fees under guidelines on eviction and demolition involving underprivileged and homeless citizens.

NGCP also paid for the affected portions of the houses. Inopiquez said the valuation was based on current prices of construction materials, regardless of when the houses were built.

“Maong igo-igo sad, dili tawn magmahay ang mga tao kay gibayran man silag tarung sa NGCP,” Inopiquez said.

The compensation followed years of disagreement over the project. Residents initially opposed the construction in 2021, prompting NGCP to file an expropriation case.

The parties eventually reached an amicable settlement, with the affected homeowners agreeing to accept financial assistance.

The homeowners were responsible for dismantling their houses after receiving the assistance.

They were given 24 hours to complete the work, after which NGCP would take over the dismantling and cleanup if necessary.

Inopiquez said materials that remain usable would be set aside for the homeowners to retrieve or reuse.

HUDO will assist and accommodate six homeowners, while other affected families said they would transfer to nearby areas.

The Cebu-Lapu-Lapu Interconnection Project includes a 230-kV transmission line, a submarine cable connecting Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City, and an overhead transmission line traversing parts of Mandaue, including Tabok.

Michael Ortega Ligalig, NGCP government relations and regional affairs lead specialist for Cebu-Bohol, said the project is intended to provide Mactan Island with another source of power.

Mactan currently receives electricity through an underground cable. Ligalig said the additional transmission facilities would provide an alternative source if the existing cable encounters a problem.

Ligalig said the Cebu-Lapu-Lapu Interconnection Project would provide Mactan Island with another source of power if the existing underground cable encounters a problem, strengthening the reliability of the island’s electricity supply.

Several towers for the overhead transmission line have already been constructed, while remaining towers, including those in Tabok, are still being completed.

NGCP will install the transmission wires once the towers are finished before energizing the project.

Kim Tabanas, a Tabok resident whose family has lived in the area for nearly four decades, said the community’s long history in the neighborhood made residents hesitant to give up their homes when the project was introduced.

She said the homeowners later agreed to the settlement after the court ruled against them and they came to understand the project’s role in addressing the area’s frequent power interruptions.

Tabanas said residents eventually accepted the explanation that the transmission project was needed to help improve the reliability of the electricity supply.

“Nasabtan namo kay ang kuryente sige na og ka-brownout, maong gipasabot nalang gyud ang mga tao,” Tabanas said.

Meanwhile, about 40 houses in Barangay Paknaan will also be affected by the project.

The homeowners there have declined financial assistance unless the city provides relocation.

Inopiquez said the city is working on a relocation site within Mandaue that could be ready as early as September.

He said the city understands the residents’ preference to remain in Mandaue because their livelihoods are based there.(MyTVCebu)