March 29, 2024

The city council, through Ordinance 03-2022, has extended the application period for the power connection amnesty for six more months.
The extension period will start from the effectivity of the ordinance. 
In April 2021, the council passed Ordinance 54-2021 granting an amnesty to applicants for electric connection for a period of six months which took effect on May 16, 2021 and expired on Nov. 16, 2021.
The city council has decided to extend the application period of the amnesty to “give an opportunity to the residents, especially the poor, to be provided with basic needs in order to improve their social, economic, and living conditions.”
The council members stated one reason why the applicants failed to avail of the amnesty was the limited number of personnel at the City Assessor’s Office conducting the reassessment of all real properties within the city, causing a delay in the issuance of tax declaration, which is one of the requirements in applying for the amnesty.
Another reason cited was the Covid-19 pandemic, which significantly affected all residents including those applying for the amnesty.
The amnesty, as extended, shall provide relief to applicants in the issuance of certificate of final electrical inspection (CFEI) or certificate of electrical inspection (CEI) for electrical service connection. 
It shall apply to all residential dwellings with no building permits but with building tax declarations including those built on titled, declared, and undeclared lands as long they are not situated in forest and water reservations, waterways, road-right-of-way areas, and high-risk areas; and as long as they have no pending demolition order or are not built in areas where structures have been demolished.  
It shall likewise apply to agricultural structures such as sheds, barns, and hatcheries, among others.
The ordinance stated structures built in violation of the National Building Code of the Philippines and other related laws should not be condoned, and the CBAO and other concerned agencies are not prevented from demolishing the structures based on other lawful grounds. 
Under the ordinance, the following are the requirements for the issuance of the CFEI/CEI by the City Buildings and Architecture Office: electrical plan duly signed and sealed by a licensed professional electrical engineer and certified to be compliant with the Philippine Electrical Code; proof of ownership of the structure or building like deed of sale, waivers, tax declaration of the building or authorization from registered/declared building owner; certificate of non-tax delinquency of the building or certificate of exemption from payment of real property tax; and barangay certification attesting that the applicant is a bonafide resident of the barangay. – Jordan G. Habbiling