‘Meralco must extend deadline for bills payment’

By Lenie Lectura – October 6, 2020
from Business Mirror

Power lines run beside a sign for the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) Makati branch in Manila, the Philippines, on Monday, March 23, 2009. Manila Electric Co. is the largest Philippine power retailer.

CONSUMER groups urged lawmakers to demand from the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to extend the October 31 deadline for consumers to settle unpaid bills.

The Power for People Coalition (P4P), Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and Sanlakas on Tuesday called on House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and House Energy Committee Chairman Lord Allan Velasco to take action as the reprieve for Meralco consumers ends soon.

Meralco has set on October 31 the last day of its no-disconnection policy for consumers who were unable to pay their bills incurred during the enhanced community quarantine period.

“We have heard Cayetano and Velasco talk about so many things, but we have yet to hear from them talk about what they will do for the thousands of households unable to pay their massive Meralco bills from the bill shock period.

Despite the hearings, consumers are still waiting for concrete action from Congress. We ask Congress, as our elected representatives, to make this their priority,” said Gerry Arances, P4P Convenor.

For Meralco’s part, the utility firm assured that it will be “very considerate” to its customers.

“Even after October, which is the deadline that we set, we assure all our customers that we will be very considerate and will always keep in mind their welfare. This includes customers whose bills remain unpaid since the start of the lockdown,” said Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga in a text message.

Ian Rivera, PMCJ National Coordinator, pointed out that Meralco’s alleged expensive electricity rates are mostly sourced from seven coal-fired power plants.

“There is a problem with the opaque pricing mechanism on how ERC and Meralco came out with the generation rates. Obviously, there is no truth to what Meralco and other generation companies say that coal is cheap. It has never been cheap. It is costly, deadly, and dirty. If we allow these plants to operate, a great amount of GHG emission from the total 3,219 MW will further mess up the climate,” said Rivera.