Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian encouraged the government to come up with a solution to help Filipinos settle their piling electricity bills with the extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon.
Gatchalian says the marginalized sector would find it hard to settle their two-month electricity bills in full considering their current financial capacity.
Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, urges the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to create feasible solutions that will help affected Filipinos in paying their electricity bills. He suggested a staggered payment scheme for not less than three months.
“Dahil nga marami sa ating mga kababayan ang hindi nakakapagtrabaho ngayon, lalo na yung mga ‘no work, no pay’, ang panawagan natin sa ERC ay gumawa ng hakbang para hindi sila maputulan ng kuryente,” Gatchalian stated.
Gatchalian also appealed to the power distribution giant, Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to waive its convenience fee temporarily for consumers paying their electricity bill via mobile app.
Meralco announced earlier that consumers will pay an additional P47 convenience fee for mobile transactions.
“For humanitarian reasons, let’s think of ways that will make the lives of our kababayans better and alleviate their suffering as we face this pandemic,” he added. (RJ Espartinez)