SEEKING DISCOUNTS. Members of the General Santos City council tackle various measures in one of their recent special sessions. The City Council on Tuesday (April 21, 2020) asked power and water distribution utilities to grant subsidies and discounts to consumers, and remove the penalties for delayed payments amid the Covid-19 pandemic. (File photo courtesy of the City Council)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The City Council has asked power and water distribution utilities here to grant subsidies and discounts to consumers, as well as remove the penalties for delayed payments amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
In a resolution passed during Tuesday's special session, the Council urged the South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (Socoteco II) and the General Santos City Water District (GSCWD) to give due consideration to local consumers to help ease the impact of the Covid-19 threat.
City Councilor Vandyke Congson cited the effects of the ongoing enhanced community quarantine, which has restricted the movement of residents and led to the temporary closure of various businesses.
“This is the time for us to work together to help ease the burden of our constituents,” Congson said.
In particular, the Council asked Socoteco II and GSCWD to subsidize the bills of their poor or “lifeline” consumers.
For the regular clients, the legislative body pushed for a 30-percent discount on the bills covering the quarantine period, set to end on April 30.
The City Council also urged the two entities to implement an installment program for the payment of bills for at least three months.
“We’re also appealing to both utilities to stop the line disconnection for consumers who fail to pay their bills on time,” Congson said.
In an advisory, the Socoteco II management said it has already waived the bills of its members who consume 25 kilowatts and below.
The Socoteco II also assured that the subsidy would not be passed on or billed to the consumers in the next billing cycles. (PNA)
