Danessa Rivera (The Philippine Star)
- July 11, 2018 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Energy
Regulatory Commission (ERC) is requiring power distributors to submit reports
detailing the amount of bill deposit collected from consumers as well as
interests earned as it puts more teeth in the bill deposit rules.
The ERC revised the existing bill
deposit rules and issued “Rules to Govern the Monitoring and Reporting Process
of Bill Deposits.”
The draft rules include a provision
on the preparation and submission of periodic report, under oath, on or before
Dec. 31 of every year, regarding the details of the total amount of bill
deposit collected including interest earned and the amount credited or refunded
to its consumers.
Bill deposits collected from
residential and non-residential consumers are intended to guarantee the payment
of electricity bills for new and/or additional service and from disconnected
consumers who were previously not subject to bill deposit.
The bill deposit shall be equivalent
to the estimated billing for one month based on the load schedule of the
consumer to guarantee payment of his bills.
“For purposes of transparency, the
proposed rules shall enjoin distribution utilities to maintain and develop in
their official websites, consumer information disclosing all important terms
and conditions, systems and procedures on bill deposits in clear and
comprehensible language for the consumers.” ERC chairperson and CEO Agnes
Devanadera said.
The ERC issued notices for the
conduct of focus group discussions (FGDs) on the draft rules, directing
electric cooperatives (ECs) to submit their comments and/or inputs.
Last May, the Ombudsman ordered the
three-month suspension of ERC commissioners Alfredo Non, Gloria Victoria
Yap-Taruc, Josefina Patricia Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana for failing to act on
the misuse of bill deposits by distribution utilities (DUs).
The Ombudsman said the four
commissioners continuously refrain from strictly implementing rules defining
the nature of bill deposits as “mere guarantee in payment of bills” which must
be returned upon termination of the DUs’ service.
In an order signed by Executive
Secretary Salvador Medialdea last week, Malacañang directed the ERC to
implement the suspension of the ERC commissioners.
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