MANILA, Philippines — State-run National Electrification Administration (NEA) has included man-made disasters among the reasons in writing off unpaid consumer electricity bills.
These man-made disasters include theft, robbery, arson, and other crimes, acts of terrorism, civil disorder and war.
The Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative Inc. (LASURECO) has requested NEA’s Electric Cooperatives Audit Department (ECAD) to write-off power bills with records physically and in electronic storage devices that were lost or destroyed during the armed conflict in Marawi City in May 2017.
In a memorandum, the NEA said the request to write-off must be duly approved by the EC board of directors through a resolution stating the amount to be written off and the circumstances of the loss, destruction or damage. The request must also be supported by relevant documents.
“The amount to be written-off, as proven by the required evidence presented, shall be limited and shall be applicable only to power bills that were lost on the date of declaration of the state of calamity or the occurrence of the above-mentioned unforeseen/fortuitous events and other circumstances, as the case may be,” the agency said.