MANILA, Philippines—Distribution utilities and electric cooperatives will soon be mandated to provide discounts and subsidies to senior citizens for the electricity they consume. This is in accordance with the Expanded Senior Citizens Act.
Francis Saturnino Juan, executive director of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), said the agency is now soliciting comments on the draft rules that the commission has issued for the computation of these discounts.
According to the draft rules, the discount will be applied to all qualified senior citizen end-users of distribution utilities, to be taken from the “subsidy to be paid by the non-senior citizen and non-qualified senior citizen end-users”.
Juan said the rules are aimed at providing transparency in the grant of senior citizen discounts and in the calculation of the subsidy rates, and at protecting the interest of the public which will be affected by the rates and services of distribution utilities.
The discounts will vary depending on the electricity consumption of the senior citizens. For example, for the first 100 kilowatt-hours of electricity consumption, a senior citizen can expect a 5-percent discount.
Juan said the cost of giving these discounts and subsidies to some seven million Filipinos who are 60 years old and above will have to be shouldered by the rest of the power consumers.
Distribution utilities and electric cooperatives that refuse to give such discounts will be penalized, according to the ERC.
The penalty for the first violation is a fine of not less than P50,000 but not exceeding P100,000, and any subsequent violation not less than P100,000 but not exceeding P200,000. In both cases, violators will also face imprisonment of not less than two years but not more than six years.
Any person who abuses the privilege will also be punished with a fine of not less P50,000 but not more than P100,000 and imprisonment of not less than six months.
According to Juan, the ERC plans to issue the final rules within six months. –Amy R. Remo, Philippine Daily Inquirer
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October –
Monthly Observances:
Industry and Commerce Safety Month
National Statistics Month
Local Government Month
Consumer Welfare Month
Cooperative Month
National Quality and Productivity Improvement Month
National Health and Wellness Tourism Month
National Indigenous Peoples Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 1: Elderly Filipino Week
Week 2: National Health Education Week
Local Government Week
National Mental Health Week
October 17-23:
National Week for Overcoming Extreme Poverty
October 18 – 24:
United Nations Week
Last Week:
Nurses’ Week
Consumers’ Protection Week
Week of the 4th Sunday:
Barrio Farmers’ Week
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First Monday (Oct 4): Universal Children’s Day i
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Oct 5: National Teachers’ Day
Oct 10: Local Government Day
Third Thursday (Oct 14): Conflict Resolution Day
Oct 21: Tenants’ Emancipation day
Oct 24: United Nations Day
Oct 29: National Indigenous People’s Thanksgiving Day
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