CEBU, Philippines — For the third time since December, the Visayan Electric will implement a decrease of P0.89 per kwh reduction in the electricity bill, this time, for the month of February to March.
Quennie Sanchez-Bronce, head of the Reputation and Enhancement Department of the Visayan Electric, told The Freeman yesterday that this is the third time the company is effecting a decrease in power rates.
Bronce said that the company implemented a reduction of 5 centavos per kwh in the December to January billing, and another 27 centavos per kwh in January to February billing cycle.
As of January 2023, Visayan Electric has a total of 441,489 residential costumers.
Engr. Raul Lucero, Visayan Electric President and Chief Operating Officer, said that the latest reduction of P0.89 per kwh is by far the biggest they had in the last several months.
Lucero said that the latest round of power rate reduction is a big help among the consumers.
“However, we should still be cautious in our usage of electricity as the prices of coal and electricity in the world market are still unpredictable, especially with the recent calamity that struck the Middle East,” said Lucero.
The recent rate reduction would mean that a household with an average monthly electricity consumption of 200 kwh will save a total of P178.00.
According to the power distributor, the drop in electricity rates, which brings the rate to P15.19 per kWh, is due to the downward trend of the prices of coal in the world market.
The power rate reduction is also due to the decrease in the prices of electricity in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).
In order to avoid bill shock, Lucero also encouraged consumers to still be mindful of their electricity consumption.
“Now that we are approaching summer, we should be extra conscious in using our cooling appliances such as air conditioners as heat contributes to the power consumption of these appliances. We also have to make sure that these appliances are properly maintained to avoid sudden increases in our electricity consumption,” Lucero added.
Visayan Electric continues to offer payment arrangements to its customers who cannot pay for their electricity bills in full as a way of helping the community cope up with the high prices of basic commodities.
Customers who are interested in applying for payment arrangements may do so at any of Visayan Electric’s service centers.
Visayan Electric is the second largest electric utility in the Philippines.
It serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay, Naga and four municipalities of the greater part of Metro Cebu Liloan, Consolacion, Minglanilla and San Fernando. — JMD (FREEMAN)