Rural power consumers’ bills waived for March, April

By Adam J. Ang – April 15, 2020 | 10:01 pm
from Business World

POWER consumers in the countryside with usage of under 50 kilowatt-hours (kWh) will not need to pay for electricity in March and April as a form of relief granted by the government in response to the disruptions caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a briefing by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Cabinet Secretary Karlo B. Nograles said so-called “lifeline consumers” will have their bills waived by rural electric cooperatives.

“Sa mga kababayan nating komu-konsumo ng mas mababa sa 50 kilowatts per hour o ‘yung mga tinatawag na “lifeline consumers” ng mga electric cooperatives dito sa Luzon, maging sa Visayas at Mindanao… libre na po ang inyong konsumo sa loob ng March to April billing period (Consumers of less than 50 kWh, or those so-called lifeline consumers of electric cooperatives… your power for the March to April billing period is free.) Mr. Nograles said.

On other bills these consumers have also been granted a one-month grace period, he added.

Recently, the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc. launched the Pantawid Liwanag Project, which aims to subsidize electricity costs for poor consumers affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed following the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Target na tulungan ng Pantawid Liwanag ang tatlong milyong mahihirap na consumer ng mga electric cooperative (The Pantawid Liwanag Project aims to help three million poor customers of electric cooperatives),” Mr. Nograles added.

“To show solidarity in dealing with this crisis, the electric cooperatives are exploring all means to continuously deliver electricity services to their respective consumers, as well as mitigate the cost of electric consumption by accessing funds for the design and implementation of Pantawid Liwanag,” National Electrification Administration (NEA) Administrator Edgardo R. Masongsong said in a statement Saturday.

The Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission ordered the energy industry to extend payment deadlines by up to 30 days from April 14, which was initially the date of the end of the Luzon ECQ.

The ECQ has since been extended to April 30.