Meralco suspends disconnection activities

(The Philippine Star) - March 29, 2021 - 12:00am
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/03/29/2087733/meralco-suspends-disconnection-activities

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is suspending disconnection activities in its franchise area until mid-April as the government imposes stricter quarantine measures.

“Cognizant of the plight of our customers amid these challenging times brought about by the pandemic and in support of the government’s effort to manage the transmission of COVID-19, we commit to put on hold all disconnection activities until April 15, 2021,” Meralco FVP and chief commercial officer Ferdinand Geluz said in a statement.

Geluz reiterated that Meralco will continue to be very considerate during these trying times and vowed to assist its customers in need of help in their electricity concerns.

“We hope this measure will contribute to easing the burden of our customers and provide enough relief and time for them to settle their bills,” he said.

In an earlier statement, Meralco committed to continue vital operations such as meter reading, following the order of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and to continue working around the clock to serve its customers.

Meralco encouraged customers to send a personal message via Facebook Messenger, Twitter, or call its 16211 hotline before going to Meralco Business Centers (BCs), which will have a skeleton workforce, for any inquiries and concerns on billing and payments as a precaution to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

This measure ensures that customers can save time and effort, but more importantly, minimizes any potential and unnecessary exposure to the virus.

The distribution utility has announced that its BCs will remain open to accept payments, applications and customer assistance. Business hours will be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a skeleton workforce in compliance with Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) guidelines from Monday to Friday, and 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays.

BCs will be closed from April 1 to 3 in observance of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday.

Electric meter reading and delivery of bills will still continue during this time, with Meralco personnel working under the strict health guidelines of the IATF.

“Meralco business operations, including meter reading activities, will continue despite stricter quarantine measures,” Geluz said.

“Rest assured there will be strict implementation of health protocols in order to safeguard the health and safety of both customers and our personnel. This will ensure that actual consumption for the month will be billed accordingly,” he said.

“Meralco crews will also continue to be on standby 24/7 to respond to any emergencies and reports,” the Meralco official said.

Earlier, the ERC appealed to local government units (LGUs) to allow the distribution utilities’ meter readers to conduct their onsite meter reading activities in view of the added restrictions imposed in the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

“We are being proactive this time that we seek the assistance of the LGUs, particularly in those areas declared under the NCR-Plus bubble, to permit the electric meter readers to do their job in order to avoid the electric Distribution Utilities from resorting to ‘estimated’ billings again which may cause undue burden to our electricity consumers,” ERC chairperson and CEO Agnes Devanadera said.

Last year, the ERC experienced an all-time high in the number of consumer complaints it received over electric bill shock, which surged to more than 50,000.

As a result, the ERC investigated and issued show cause orders to DUs that were found to have violated certain directives contained in the ERC Advisories issued during the government’s implementation of the enhanced community quarantine and modified ECQ measures.

Moreover, the ERC augmented its Consumer Affairs Service’s communication platforms in order to address the overwhelming number of complaints referred to the ERC by displeased electricity consumers. Finally, ERC had intensified its social media presence for consumers to have better access to its services.

“We want to avoid another surge of consumer complaints, similar to what happened last year, that we are appealing to the LGUs to allow the DU’s meter readers to conduct the actual meter reading. On the other hand, the DUs are directed to ensure the meter readers wear the necessary Personal Protective Equipment and that they comply with the prescribed health protocols in order to reduce the risk of getting infected with the Covid-19 virus,” Devanadera said.