Engineer Daryl Bonbon, Visayan Electric vice president for consumer services. CD Digital photo | Delta Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Visayan Electric urged consumers to check their February 2022 bills meticulously in order to understand why their bills may have increased.
Engineer Daryl Bonbon, the vice president for customer services of the power utility, said that because they did not collect fees in January 2022 due to the ongoing restoration after Typhoon Odette, the unpaid bills may have lumped up.
It could be that the unpaid balance for December 2021 plus the consumption from the moment the household is reenergized until February 2022 was reflected in the February bill causing the sudden rise of the electric bill.
“Wala gyoy nahitabo nga meter reading pag after sa Bagyong Odette. Pag January, nagfocus ang Visayan Electric sa restoration sa interrupted customers. Nagresume mi og reading sa bulan na sa February,” said Bonbon.
(There was no meter reading after typhoon Odette. In January, Visayan Electric focused on restoration of power. We resumed reading in February.)
This is why customers are urged to look at the number of days indicated in the bill between the previous reading and the present reading.
If within the said reading period, the consumer did not have power, the meter will not register consumption for the days without power.
Bonbon clarified as well that even if in the printed bill a surcharge is stipulated for the month of December 2021, this surcharge is waived. However, a surcharge will be applied for the unpaid November 2021 bill.
The more accurate bill is actually the online version through the Visayan Electric bill mobile application, and the public is encouraged to use it for a more accurate reflection of their bill.
“Kung atong tanawon karon nga mabill mashock gyod ta kay dakoa sa akong bill uy, pero wala baya ta nagbill pag December ug January. Dinha na nato makita-an nga ay, nalump diay ang akoang February,” said Bonbon.
Bonbon said that an increase of up to three times than the usual monthly bill is normal. An increase of five times may be suspicious and can be reported to Visayan Electric for clarification and investigation.
Payment plans
Visayan Electric is offering payment plans for consumers who may not be capable of paying their February 2022 bill due to the sudden increase.
The utility’s customer representatives are available in their respective outlets, on their hotline, and online for customers who have questions regarding their bills.
The payment plan will depend on the bill and the consumer.
Bonbon also notes that the deadline for February 2022 has been extended by 30 days, which means that if the consumer chooses not to do a payment plan, they can pay the February 2022 bill until April 2022.
Regular billing can be expected by consumers by March 2022 onwards.
/bmjo
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