The Palawan Electric Cooperative will resume its policy of disconnecting the electric service lines of member-consumer-owners (MCOs) with unpaid bills on September 16, as it lifts its moratorium on disconnection in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a press statement Wednesday, the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) said MCOs who have received disconnection notices will be the first to lose their electricity if they do not settle on or before the prescribed dates.
“Ipapatupad na ang disconnection o pagpuputol ng serbisyong kuryente simula ngayong ika-16 ng Setyembre sa Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa. Pangunahing mapuputulan ay iyong mga kamay-ari na nakatanggap ng Notice of Disconnection dahil sa mga hindi nabayarang bill bago mag Marso,” according to the statement.
PALECO said it did not strictly implement the practice of disconnection during the previous months due to the health crisis, even as it continued to settle its own obligations to its independent power providers (IPPs).
It said the moratorium on disconnection was imposed to help lessen the problems of the MCOs at the height of the pandemic. But since the situation has improved, PALECO also needs to recover from the impact of paying the IPPs even without collection.
“Matatandaaan na naging maluwag ang kooperatiba sa pagputol ng kuryente ng hindi nakapagbayad ng kanilang buwanang obligasyon bilang pakikiisa sa panahon ng pandemyang COVID-19. Sa kabila ng ang mga power providers ay patuloy pa ring naniningil sa PALECO kahit may pandemya,” PALECO said.
PALECO chair Jeffrey Tan-Endriga earlier said that the electric cooperative managed to pay the power providers although there remain to be MCOs who still have unsettled bills since February.
PALECO said it could not give a longer extension similar to what the Manila Electric Company has done as it will affect their other projects, such as upgrading projects under its capital expenditure (Capex).
“Upang hindi maantala ang kanilang serbisyo at patuloy ang daloy ng kuryente, and iyong kooperasyon sa pagbayad ng buwanang obligasyon ay hinihiling ng kooperatiba,” the statement further said.
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