NGCP cuts off power to Albay over unpaid bills
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines–At exactly 12 noon Tuesday, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines cut off power in the entire province of Albay due to the failure of the Albay Electric Cooperative to pay its current bill for June amounting to P56 million, said Hazel Morallos, Aleco spokesperson.
Morallos said the disconnection notice was served by the NGCP last week on orders of the Philippine Electricity Market Corp. to whom the cooperative owed millions of its current bill.
Morallos said the power disconnection would continue indefinitely unless Aleco could soon settle its power bills with PEMC.
The province-wide blackout would affect some 160,000 households in the province. The power cut off has angered members of the business community who said the power black out would carry additional financial burden to their business operation.
Morallos said PEMC also asked Aleco to submit 300 heavy load users who failed to settle their current and outstanding accounts with the cooperative including notations whether these loaders have been disconnected or not.
In a statement released through his Facebook account, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said he was “working hard and pleading with energy authorities and corporate boards to secure an “immediate selective reconnection.”
He said that “selective” meant some 100 heavy loads would no longer be serviced.
According to him, it was a disconnection which they were able to hold for 15 years with National Power Corp. and three years with PEMC.
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