BENGUET Electric Cooperative (Beneco) will temporarily suspend meter reading procedures in barangays placed under lockdown due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Lawyer Delmar Cariño, head of Beneco's Institutional Services Division, said the measure will be done to ensure the safety of meter readers who are tasked to do monthly reading in the barangays in Baguio City and Benguet Province.
"For barangays that are locked down by virtue of the order of the mayor, Beneco has decided not to send our meter readers to conduct actual meter reading. This is to ensure the safety also of our meter readers but since the lockdown is also for a specific number of days, once the lockdown is lifted, our meter readers will immediately go to the areas to do actual meter readings," Cariño said.
Several puroks in barangays, mostly in Baguio City, are placed under lockdown after registering positive cases of Covid-19. The lockdowns allow immediate contact tracing procedure and disinfection.
"If the areas will not be read by the meter readers, will read later after the lockdown has been lifted. Naturally, the number of reading days will increase, and naturally, they will speak a little in their rates compared to the normal reading which is within a thirty day cycle," Cariño added.
The electric cooperative assured that minimal increase in charges will be implemented by Beneco due to the delayed reading procedures and not on the generation cost charged to the consumers.
"The reason for the minimal increase is due to the longer number of days that were read," Cariño added.