The Department of Energy (DOE) has asked MERALCO to explain the “spike” in household electricity bills during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine period.
According to DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi, the electricity charge from March 17 to April 30 must be the average bill of the household for the past few months since the actual meter reading was stopped to protect the health of their field personnel.
MERALCO stated that consumers can expect that the actual bill reading will be reflected on the next MERALCO bill since the meter readings for this month have been resumed.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has already responded to the MERALCO computations after receiving complaints from consumers.
Meanwhile, the DOE Energy Resilience Team is prepared to restore the supply of electricity in some parts of Eastern Samar that were affected by Typhoon Ambo.
Report from Naomi Tiburcio
