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MANILA, Philippines – The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has asked power distributors and electricity cooperatives to explain why they continued to charge universal and environmental charges, even though the agency had already suspended their collection amid the COVID pandemic. -19.
ERC President Agnes Devanadera said ERC wrote to energy distributors ordering them to explain why they should not be fined for their violations.
“I cannot say how much fine we would impose because we are still waiting for a response to our order to explain why, in our initial assessment, they had violated our warnings,” Devanadera told the government’s online briefing on Saturday.
The agency had received many complaints and also saw in its review of documents that there were several power distributors that violated ERC’s orders not to charge the universal environmental charge (UC-EC) and the feed-in tariff subsidy, it said.
Suspended collection
The ERC suspended UC-EC collection, which is equal to P0.0025 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), in May until further notice.
The Fit-All collection was discontinued in March to provide financial relief to most electricity consumers.
Previously, the ERC fined Manila Electric Company (Meralco) 19 million pesos for not indicating in consumers’ invoices that the amounts they were charging were estimated and for not complying with the order to allow installment payments in the invoices of Energy.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who heads the Senate’s energy committee, praised the ERC order, saying it served as a warning to other distribution companies that they better abide by ERC directives.
“Efforts to exploit and prey on others in times of crisis and pandemic must be given appropriate punishment,” Gatchalian said in a statement, adding that the fine imposed on Meralco was a small price to pay compared to the confusion and burden. . brought to millions of residents, especially those who only earn just enough for their needs.
Penalty P300M
He also said that based on the ERC order for Meralco to zero the distribution, supply and metering charges of each of the consumers in the life line whose monthly energy consumption does not exceed 100 kWh for a billing cycle monthly, the penalty that would be imposed on the company would amount to almost P300 million.
According to him, the discount to be provided to all lifeline consumers is estimated to be around P275 million, according to ERC’s May 2020 records.
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