Tarlac power users get rate hike break ’til Monday

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—More than 80,000 electricity consumers in Tarlac province received temporary relief as the mayor of Capas town obtained another court order that stopped Tarlac II Electric Cooperative Inc. (Tarelco II) from collecting power generation charges until Feb. 10.

In a statement on Wednesday, Capas Mayor Antonio Rodriguez said the order issued by Judge Cesar Aganon of the Tarlac Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 63 on Jan. 24 sustained the three-day temporary restraining order issued by Executive Judge Ma. Magdalena Balderama of RTC Branch 65 on Jan. 23.

The order said Rodriguez and Tarelco II agreed to suspend collection only in Capas town.

Rodriguez said he asked the court to intervene because the rates charged by Tarelco II rose from P7.9 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in January 2013 to nearly double at P15 per kWh in December.

The rates for January this year, however, went down to P10.6 per kWh.

Jose Bognot Jr., general manager of Tarelco II, said the cooperative did not increase rates. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon