MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) announced Monday it will be extending its period of no power disconnection until the end of October to help consumers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Meralco president and CEO Ray Espinosa made the announcement during the hybrid hearing of the House committee on good governance and public accountability.
“Bilang tugon sa inyong request, ie-extend ko yung suspension ng disconnection hanggang end of October, para mas mabigyan ng panahon ang ating mga customers na makalikom ng sapat na pambayad sa kanilang mga bills,” Espinosa told lawmakers.
(In response to your request, I will suspend the disconnection until the end of October so that we give our customers time to save money to pay their bills.)
Initially, the no power disconnection policy of Meralco was supposed to end on September 30.
READ: Meralco CEO: ‘No power disconnection’ period extended until Sept. 30
In the same hearing, Espinosa assured the public that billings are now based on actual meter readings and that payments are now based on actual consumption.
Earlier, Meralco customers have complained of “bill shock” as the power retailer imposed an average scheme for electric bills based on three months of power usage, since actual power reading was suspended due to the quarantine period imposed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.