Monday, January 12, 2009 Lavia backs Nograles on public utilities
DAVAO City Council trade, commerce, and industry committee chair Peter Lavia supports House Speaker Prospero Nograles's proposed measures to protect consumers from erring public utility providers and compensate them but with skepticism.
"I hope Speaker Nograles is serious about this idea. He has in the past floated many bright ideas but it appears they were only for pogi points," Lavia said.
Nograles's proposal provides for automatic rebates from utility service providers, such as electricity, water, telephone, cable, and Internet, for delayed reconnection and service repairs.
The proposal states that all utility service providers must be required to immediately reconnect or provide repair service to utility users and consumers within a specific period of time.
For disconnections due to non-payment of bills, reconnection shall be made within two hours after the required payment and after other requirements have been complied with for non-metered utilities like telephone, cable, and Internet services.
Disconnected metered utilities, such as electricity and water, are to be reconnected within four hours after the required payment and other requirements have been made.
For USP technology failures, accidental and other unexpected disconnections, repairs and/or reconnections shall be made within four hours after due notice, involving minor repairs of non-metered utilities; within four hours after due notice involving minor repairs of metered utilities; within eight hours after receipt of notice for those requiring major repair jobs on non-metered utilities; and within eight hours after receipt of notice for those requiring major repair jobs on metered utilities.
Reconnection of services discontinued by USP for utility consumers who were found to have used or acquired utilities through theft, meter tampering, and other fraudulent means shall be under the discretion of said USPs.
For major utility breakdown as a result of force majeure, USP may not be required to give refund or rebate but shall instead provide an hourly bulletin through any available media regarding the status of repairs being undertaken.
USP shall also make available to affected utility consumers hotline connections for easy access to information.
Nograles said failure on the part of utility service providers to follow the provisions laid down in the proposed measure shall be meted with sanctions. The sanctions, he said, shall be in the form of rebates or refunds of up to 10 percent of fixed monthly bill for every hour of elapsed time not exceeding the user's monthly bill, as well as P100 for every three fours of elapsed time for fixed rate utilities like cable, internet, and telephone services, among other penal provisions.
Lavia said the move has already been done last month in Darwin, Australia where customers hit by a spate of power blackouts received compensation. (GLP)
