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MANILA - (UPDATED 4:33 p.m.) Meralco has decided to defer the collection of an additional bill deposit amid public outcry against the new imposition, the Energy Regulatory Commission said on Friday.
Francis Saturnino C. Juan, ERC executive director, said discussions the regulator held with Manila Electric Co. bore fruit, with the country's biggest electricity distributor agreeing to a postponement of the new charge.
"Meralco said it will defer collection of the bill deposit adjustment to January next year and proposed to collect it over 12 months," he said.
Meralco, however, would have to file a formal petition with the ERC.
Besides Meralco, the ERC will also check on other distribution utilities and electric cooperatives to ensure their bill deposits are in order and are not a burden to their customers, Juan said.
"We will still be checking their implementation, if they have already started implementing and their manner of implementation," he added.
Utilities like Meralco are allowed to charge bill deposits as security payment for potential unpaid bills. These are usually charged to consumers when they apply for an electricity connection to their homes or establishments.
The deposit amount, however, may be adjusted depending on their actual monthly bills similar to what Meralco recently implemented in its franchise area. The move has drawn flak from consumers who were caught off guard by the new imposition.
The National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reform had complained that the additional bill deposit should have gone through a public hearing before Meralco imposed the new charge.
In light of this, the ERC summoned Meralco today to discuss how the latter can mitigate the impact of the additional bill deposits on consumers' pockets.
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