The Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases announced today Apr. 15 that consumers of electricity using less than 50 kilowatt per hour will not be paying for electricity charges for the billing period of March to April.
In a virtual briefing, IATF spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said, “Sa mga kababayan nating komukonsumo ng mas mababa sa 50 kilowatt per hour o yung mga tinatawag na ‘lifeline consumers’ ng mga electric cooperative dito sa Luzon, maging sa Visayas at Mindanao–maliban sa isang buwang grace period sa pagbabayad ng kuryente–libre na po ang inyong konsumo sa loob ng March to April billing period.”
The directive is part of the Pantawid Liwanag program, a subsidy program for the electricity needs of the poor amid the crisis, which aims to help three million so-called “lifeline consumers” mainly comprising impoverished citizens across the country. “Target na tulungan ng Pantawid Liwanag ang tatlong milyong mahihirap na consumer ng mga electric cooperative,” Nograles added.
This is on top of power firms’ initial 30-day grace period extension for payment of bills from Mar. 1 to Apr. 14.
[READ: You can check utilities off of the things you need to worry about during the lockdown]
Despite lockdown measures being implemented, Nograles says that the Department of Energy (DOE) has assured that there is a surplus of power capacity in Luzon, with its report stating that we have an “available capacity of 11,795 megawatts (MW) which is greater than the actual peak demand of 7,323 MW in Luzon.” Because of this, the DOE is able to reassure the public that there will be no power interruptions as there is a stable power supply millions of residents in Luzon being required to stay at home during enhanced community quarantine.
Header photo courtesy Inquirer.net
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Writer: JOY THERESE GOMEZ
