- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Electricity consumers in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental availing of power rate discounts are reminded to update their records and apply anew for the government’s lifeline or subsidized program.
The Department of Energy said that starting next month, electricity consumers nationwide who are in the list of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, but who have not registered with their electric cooperatives or distribution utilities (DUs), will no longer receive rate discounts.
Applications to avail of the lifeline rate program under Republic Act 11552, which extends the implementation of the subsidy, shall continue to be processed by the DUs but the discounts will be effective only upon registration, the DOE advisory said.
Aside from 4Ps beneficiaries, the subsidized rate is also given to qualified marginalized or low-income end-users as part of the socialized pricing mechanism that provides for a percentage discount, except for those using net-metering services, and those apprehended for electricity pilferage.
For the Central Negros Electric Cooperative, a 50-percent discount will be given to registrants consuming 25 kilowatt-hour of electricity per month, with corresponding markdown for other low power consumers of up to 80kWh/month.
The Ceneco management earlier scheduled a member/consumer account information updating activity, from July 19 to 27, at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central, and in all Ceneco offices in Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, Bago, and Murcia.
For the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative, its approved lifeline subsidy is 50 percent for consumers with 15kWh and below usage per month, and up to five percent discount for 21-25kWh users.
The DOE said that as per data provided by the Energy Regulatory Commission, only 1,816 consumers out of 24 million 4Ps beneficiaries nationwide have applied for the lifeline program, as of July 10.
Only 31 DUs have received lifeline program applications while 110 DUs have not received a single application, as of the same date, it added./CGC
