Meralco to issue disconnection notices to ‘lifeliners’ next month, but won’t cut power right away

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said Tuesday it will start to issue disconnection notices to its lifeline customers in April, but the cutting of electricity will not be immediate.

Lifeline consumers are those who have electricity consumption of 100 kilowatt-hour and below a month, as defined by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

At a virtual press conference, Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga said the no disconnection policy due to non-payment of bills due by March 2021 of lifeline customers will expire on March 31.

“Makakatanggap na sila... those who have not paid they will receive disconnection notices,” Zaldarriaga said.

However, he added that “hindi naman dahil nakatanggap na ng disconnection notice antimano puputulan.”

The Meralco official said that the company is “very very considerate” to its customers.

He noted that the power distribution utility is offering flexible options for customers to be able to pay their bills that have fallen due.

“Meron naman kaming pwedeng gawin na makakatulong sa kanila ang importante lang ay makipagusap sila samin,” Zaldarriaga said.

“As long as kausapin kami hindi namin prioridad ang mamutol,” he said.

The Department of Energy has ordered power distributors to have manageable payment terms for their consumers.

Lifeliners comprise 32% of the customer base of power distribution firms. They also account for only 3% of electricity sales, according to the DOE. — RSJ, GMA News