|
Friday, November 18, 2005
Oro electric bills seen to rise at P3-P7
ELECTRIC consumers in Cagayan de Oro City and a number of Misamis Oriental towns can expect between P3 to P7.50 increase in their monthly bill for November, a local power firm official said.
The increase was brought about by the additional tax imposed on fuel based power sources by the recently implemented Reformed Value Added Tax (RVAT), said Attorney Edgardo Uy, vice president of Cagayan Power and Electric Power Company (Cepalco).
Initially, Uy said RVAT will be implemented on National Power Corporation's distribution, supply and metering charges. The rest of electric components will go up by December, he said, paving way for another adjustment next month.
For residential consumers using 100 and 200 kWh, the three-centavo increase per kWh will translate to P3 and P6 additional monthly payment respectively. Commercial and industrial users will expect less increase--over 2 centavos per kWh.
Uy said residential consumers use an average of 200 to 250 kWh, or about P6 to P7.50 additional obligation in their monthly bill.
On December, however, Uy said electric consumers should anticipate for the second batch of increase, when RVAT will be imposed Napocor's other electric components and Transmission Corporation's (Transco) transmission charges. He did not have any information how much the December increase would be, saying the company has yet to receive official notices from Napocor and Transco.
Uy noted that Cepalco uses hydro and geothermal sources of energy, which are exempted from the new tax law. He explained however that the electric increase was necessary since these two sources of energy also utilize fuel to be fully usable.
The Cepalco official also clarified that the increase was not company initiated but was mainly due to the new government-imposed taxes. "We are just collecting in behalf of Napocor and Transco. This is not a Cepalco initiative."
Councilors earlier roundly criticized the recent Energy department's initial assessment of RVAT's impact on electric rate in Cagayan de Oro City.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla early this month said RVAT's estimated effect on electric rate in the city would be at 22 centavos for residential users--8 centavo higher than the expected increase in Davao City.
Councilors Maryanne Enteria and Alexander Dacer had slammed the projected increase saying this was unfair.
"How come ours is more excessive than the Davao rate? I operate on the assumption that the bulk of power supply in Mindanao comes from our region," she said in a phone interview.
Dacer who heads the committee on labor, said power rate adjustment was another burden to wage earners who are still grappling with the rising cost of prime commodities. (Danilo V. Adorador III)
(November 18, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
|
