TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Nov. 9 (PIA) - - After almost nine months of implementing disconnection policy suspension, the Cagayan 1 Electric Cooperative Inc. (CAGELCO 1) will start implementing selective disconnection of unpaid bills starting this month.
Brian Victor C. Naguidula, manager - finance services division, said since March, the cooperative did not issue any disconnection notice to the consumers due to the Corona Virus Disease 2019 pandemic.
However, in the latest advisory of Energy Regulatory Commission's (ERC) dated October 29, 2020, Distribution Utilities are directed not to implement any disconnection on account of non-payment of bills until December 31, 2020 for consumers with monthly consumption not higher than twice the ERC approved lifeline consumption level and in those areas that are under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) status.
Naguidula said the lifeline consumption level for CAGELCO 1 is up to 40 kilowatt-hour which means, consumers with over 40 kilowatt-hour of consumption in a month shall be issued with disconnection policy while those who consumed 0-20 kilowatt-hour will not be affected.
"We will bring the disconnection notices to the consumers but we will also ask them to pay if they can already pay before the scheduled disconnection period. But if they fail to pay on or before the disconnection scheduled we will be forced to implement the disconnection notice," Hilario Mabborang, corplan manager.
Mabborang also explained that based from the ERC's advisory, only those areas that were declared by the National Inter-Agency Task Force under ECQ and MECQ are to be exempted from the implementation of the disconnection policy.
"There are no areas within the coverage of CAGELCO 1 that was declared by NIATF under ECQ or MECQ, hence, this is not applicable to us," Mabborang said.
General Manager Engr. Tito R. Lingan urged the consumers who have the ability to settle their bills within the original due date to pay on time to refrain from accumulating higher bills in the next months to come.
He also said that the advisory of the ERC is effective only up to December 31, 2020, meaning the normal situation will soon prevail come January 2021 in which all unpaid dues must be collected, unless another advisory will be issued.
CAGELCO 1 officials also said since the start of the pandemic, they have only 25 percent collection rate. There are 261, 363 bills that are due for disconnection with accumulated P295 million uncollected payments.
Frances Obispo, technical support division manager, advised consumers to pay bills with their pay partners such as banks and other remittance outlets to avoid flocking in the collection centers and to ensure that social distancing will still be observed. (MDCT/OTB/PIA 2-Cagayan)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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