The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is looking to include recipients of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and other qualified marginalized houses as it ramps up its effort to bring more consumers into the lifeline discount program.
The program, according to Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga, will give members price cuts to their electricity bills.
In its drive to bring in more customers who will avail of more affordable electricity, Meralco has conducted more intensified barangay caravans across different provinces and cities.
Optimistic in the campaign, Zaldarriaga was hopeful of tapping into more customers among beneficiaries after the energy provider engaged all local social welfare development offices or SWDOs in their franchise area, driven by the on-site applications.
Said application method was put into place when Meralco began its information campaign in early April, particularly within the cities of Las Piñas, Caloocan, Manila, Quezon, Parañaque, and Valenzuela in August alone.
Going beyond the metro, there are also caravans put into place in Meycauayan and San Rafael in Bulacan; General Trias and General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite; San Pablo City in Laguna; Rodriguez and Taytay in Rizal; and Sariaya and Mauban in Quezon.
Making the idea of the application more appealing to the target consumers, Zaldarriaga promised swift processing of the applications while continuing on its drive to bring the activity to public consciousness.
To qualify for the lifeline rate program, the customer must have a monthly electricity consumption equal to or below 100-kilowatt hours (kWh). Qualified applicants will consequently be receiving discounts on their billing, ranging from 20 to 100 percent, commensurate to actual usage.
To those unable to leverage the barangay caravans, Meralco is urging eligible customers to head to their nearest Meralco Business Center, bringing with them a filled-out application, the latest electricity bill, and 4Ps ID. However, for non-4Ps beneficiaries, a valid government ID and local SWDO certification are required.