Meralco to extend ‘no disconnection’ period until Sept 30

THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will extend the period of “no disconnection” to September 30, its President Ray Espinosa said.

He made the statement during a House of Representatives Committee on Energy meeting on Thursday.

Espinosa said Meralco was sorting out billing issues raised by its consumers.

“It is unfortunate that the ECQ hampered our actual meter readings and forced us to send the estimated bills for the months of March, April and in certain cases even May. Having said that though, any payments that have been made based on these estimated bills are properly and duly accounted for,” Espinosa said.

“They may not have been reflected in the bills in question but…if they were received duly by our system, they’re certainly in the system and will be reflected in the proper accounting of payments made to each and every customer,” he said.

The government placed Metro Manila under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in mid-March amid the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. It is now under general community quarantine (GCQ).

“We are doing our best to address all of these issues, not just the issues that have been raised today but [also] other issues that have been raised to us through other channels”, Espinosa said.

He also said that Meralco was “focusing on all of the bills, and making sure that…all payments are duly accounted for and credited”.

Espinosa said any overpayment in the “customers’ actual consumption of electricity during the period since their last meter reading up to their most current meter reading will be properly and duly refunded to them or credited to future bills”.

Espinosa apologized “for the great inconvenience that these billing issues have caused to our customers”.

Victor Genuino, Meralco first vice president and head of customer retail services and corporate communications, told the House committee that Meralco has discontinued estimated billings, particularly for bills starting in mid-May.

“The bills that have been released since then are based on actual meter readings that we are able to get from the meters,” Genuino said.

He also said that “we are striving very hard to complete actual meter readings”, adding that “[w]e are happy to report that…we are now up to 99 percent in the month of June.”

Genuino also said that in the corrected billing, “Meralco has already indicated in bills in June that the meter has been read and it is clearly stated at the front of the bill.”

He reiterated Meralco’s announcement during the May 27 House Committee on Energy meeting “that we will not disconnect any service in case of unpaid billing during the ECQ period”.