No utilities disconnection during pandemic – ERC

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is set to issue an advisory prohibiting distribution utilities (DUs) from disconnecting power of customers unable to pay their electric bills, ERC chair Agnes Devanadera said yesterday.

Devanadera told the Senate committee on finance during deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Energy that the body would issue a directive advising DUs to defer disconnecting electricity from households that are unable to pay their bills.

Devanadera made the statement after Sen. Imee Marcos asked about what the ERC could do to help families who are financially-strained due to the coronavirus pandemic and would not be able to pay their electricity and other bills next year after the moratorium on such payments under the Bayanihan to Recover as One expires in the coming weeks.

Marcos said cutting off electricity would adversely affect students attending online classes.

“We’re coming with an advisory for (DUs) to defer disconnecting (power) from their customers who still cannot pay their bills,” Devanadera told the hearing presided over by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

The ERC chief said the issuance of the advisory is the agency’s way of alleviating the plight of families severely affected by the pandemic.

Responding to a similar question from Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Devanadera said the draft advisory has tentatively set the moratorium until the end of the year.

Devanadera, however, said the ERC is still studying the length of moratorium on disconnections as well as the type of customers to be covered.

She said there are DUs such as the Manila Electric Co. that have voluntarily set their own deferment against disconnections on non-paying customers.