MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electronic Company (Meralco) has extended for 30 days the deadline for payments for bills due from March 1 to April 14 following the implementation of the community quarantine in Metro Manila amid the threat of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
All maintenance activities are likewise suspended unless necessary, Meralco added in a statement on Monday.
“We will provide a 30-day payment extension for bills due from March 1 to April 14, 2020. Lahat din ng mga maintenance activities ay ipagpapaliban muna, unless necessary, to ensure we are #KeepingTheLightsOn for all our customers in these trying times,” it said in a Facebook post.
Customers may transact with Meralco via their mobile app https://onelink.to/meralcomobile, Meralco Online via www.Meralco.com.ph, and authorized payment channels: bit.ly/MeralcoPaymentPartners.
“Stay safe. Stay healthy. #Stayhome. Sama-sama nating talunin ang #COVID19,” it added.
President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the entire island of Luzon under “enhanced community quarantine” “effective immediately” as confirmed cases continue to rise in the country.
Under an enhanced community quarantine, “strict home quarantine shall be implemented in all households; transportation shall be suspended; provision for food and essential services shall be regulated; and heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce quarantine procedures will be implemented.”
To date, the Philippines has recorded a total of 140 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 12 deaths.
The World Health Organization declared the disease as a global pandemic after it killed nearly 5,000 people and infected 110,000 others worldwide.
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.
The virus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but can cause serious illness such as pneumonia for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.
Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which surfaces have a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.