Power consumers told to be vigilant amid MECQ; platform launched in Iloilo City for electricity concerns

Power consumers, particularly those in Metro Manila, on Thursday were urged to be vigilant regarding sudden increases in their electricity bills during the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

Over in Iloilo City, its local power distributor has launched a platform called The Community Energy Forum to promote transparency and allow it to address consumer concerns.

Terry Ridon, lead convener of public policy think tank Infrawatch PH, expressed hope that incidents of inaccurate Meralco bills during the Luzon lockdown will no longer happen, according to a report by Isa Avendaño-Umali on Dobol B sa News TV on Tuesday.

Ridon lauded Meralco for owning up to a number of "bill shock" incidents and promising to resolve the matter. He hoped that after the MECQ - which is set to expire on August 18 - consumers will only be made to pay for their actual consumption.

In Iloilo City, MORE Electric and Power Corp. said through its newly launched forum, it hoped to tackle issues relating to power utilities in their locality, which in the past had been plagued by illegal power connections.

Among the topics discussed in the forum was the number of illegal connections or "jumpers" in Iloilo which is estimated by the MIESCOR Engineering Services to be around 30,000 as of January 2020.

According to the local Bureau of Fire Protection, the "jumpers" are among the major causes of fires there in the last five years, under its past power distributor the Panay Electric Company.

PECO had earlier insisted it had invested infrastructure during its time as power distributor, but MORE said the modernization of the city's power system didn't start until it came in.

The BFP also noted in its report to the Energy Regulatory Commission that more than half of  fire incidents in Iloilo City came from pole fires, according to MORE.

But MORE said it had already launched a crackdown on illegal connections in the past two weeks, which resulted in the discovery of around 3,000 jumpers. A number of those caught with illegal connections ended up securing necessary requirements or paying for new connections.

MORE Power said with the help of the local government units and barangays, it  has launched "I-Connect" which makes it easier and faster for residents to connect and avail of the services of the company. -Jamil Santos/MDM, GMA News