Duterte urged to hear power consumers’ complaints

One consumer was charged more than P100,000 for a month’s electricity consumption.

Another was being charged an excess of P4,000 every month.

These were just among the complaints against Panay Electric Co. (Peco) that the House committee on legislative franchises received and which may have prompted swift action on the legislative franchise of a new company offering to provide better services in power distribution in Iloilo City.

Peco, Iloilo’s sole power distributor for the past 95 years, had asked the committee to renew its franchise, which was set to expire in January next year.

But complaints have piled up against it at the House committee.

‘Over billing’

Hazel Fernandez, a resident of Jaro district, said she was among those who had filed a complaint against Peco for “over billing.”

For several months, Hazel claimed the power utility had charged her an average of P4,000 more.

Another resident, Mildred Jaromahum, said she “suffered nights of sleeplessness and stress” after Peco demanded a payment of P114,375 for a month of electricity in February 2017.

The bill, she said, was way beyond their monthly average bill of P3,000.

They had appealed to the President to send a representative to Iloilo City to personally hear their complaints. —Marlon Ramos