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Meralco line men at work before Metro Manila went under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. IMAGE Meralco
Meralco Promises No Disconnections Till September 30, 2020
by Cris Laraño
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) on Monday assured its more than six million customers that it won’t disconnect power services earlier than September, even if the latter have unpaid bills accumulated during the government-imposed community quarantine to control the spread of Covid-19.
Meralco customers are usually given around a week after their electricity bills’s due date before they are notified of possible disconnection if these remain unpaid.
At a virtual news conference, Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga underscored Meralco President and CEO Atty. Ray C. Espinosa’s promise at a congressional hearing that disconnection notices will be suspended. True enough, Espinosa announced during the House committee on energy hearing on July 2, that suspension of disconnection notices is extended till end September.
“Service disconnection is farthest from our operational plans now; it is not even being discussed. We don’t want to contribute to our customers’s worry during this pandemic,” he added.
Meralco meter readers are now required to wear face masks and face shields on the job as precautionary measures to reduce their chances of being infected with the Covid-19 virus. Image by Meralco
Meralco has already taken steps to lower their customers’s utility expenses by seeking agreements with the government to suspend taxes, and with power distributors to ease contract provisions on the power supply offtake. Power rates are usually higher in March and April, but these have been kept stable, while those in May and June have decreased.
The country’s largest power distributor has also decided for the first-time in its history to allow its customers to pay at least three months of unpaid bills in installments for up to six months, at zero interest.
Lawrence S. Fernandez, vice president for utility economics, noted while Meralco has granted installment options, the company itself was not granted a similar reprieve by its power suppliers. He said Meralco has already started paying power generators in full starting May to help ensure the suppliers can pay for their obligations and keep on producing the electricity that consumers need.
Meralco’s franchise area includes Metro Manila and nearby provinces; together this accounts for about half of the Philippines’ gross domestic product. A shortage of electricity in the area can further undermine the economy, which already contracted in the first quarter of 2020.
Fernandez said although electricity sales of Meralco have increased to around 7,600 MW on June 23 from the 5,500 MW peak demand in April, consumption is still lower compared to the high of 9,000 MW before ECQ.
Agnes M. Macob, senior assistant vice president and head of commercial operations, assured customers Meralco’s meter readings are accurate, citing the case of an unnamed customer who was convinced that his bill was accurate after the power distributor tested his meter.
Macob said other customers who initially doubted the amounts stated in their power bills, even decided to pay these in full instead of installments, after Meralco showed proof their meter readings were correct.
Even so, Meralco has only collected around half of bills due, still low albeit an improvement from around 3 percent during the ECQ.
To learn more, contact your Relationship Manager, call 16210 or email us at corporatepartners@meralco.com.ph.
Story originally posted on Power Club.