A mother from Iloilo City was trying to make ends meet but has struggled this month due to late release of their salary. The unfortunate event got worse when they have no more gas to cook their food.
This and all the other household problems arises when she got a notice from Iloilo City’s Power Distribution utility, MORE Power, which somehow made her get a sigh of relief.
She along with other consumers reaped the fruits of their on-time payment by getting their Bill Deposit back.
“Sakto lang gid siya kay naubos ang gas namon. So late pa ang sweldo si ibakal anay namon. Unexpected pero big help gid kay ti kung wala ka extra pero ara siya,” says Julie Ann Arab.
Over a year after initiating the bill deposit refund program, MORE Power has successfully released P2.8 million in refunds to 685 eligible customers.
Between May 2023 and August 2024, a total of 1,307 customer accounts reached the 36-month mark since their connection with MORE Power, making them potentially eligible for the refund. However, only 996 of these customers met the criteria of having consistently paid their bills on time over the past three years.
Just this week, MORE Power released thousands for good payor consumers who are entitled to have their Bill Deposit Refund.
“Continue indi magpa late, on-time dapat sige-sigehon until makakuha refund sang MORE Power,” says Mrs. Doroteo.
“Kung sa ano tuod-tuod nga ginapa refund sang ERC ginatuman sang MORE. Ibakal ta sang kinahanglanon ta sa panimalay,” says Resty Minerva.
“Pag-abot sang bill nagabayad ko dayun. Naga GCASH,” says another consumer named Melcon.
As of the latest count, 685 customers have successfully processed and received their bill deposit refunds.
In accordance with Article 7 of the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers, distribution utilities are mandated to refund the bill deposit of customers who have paid their bills on time for three consecutive years (36 months) and have no record of service disconnection.
The bill deposit is a necessary requirement for new meter applicants prior to the installation of their meters.
